Just Another Sad Love Story Part 1
by Stargazer9
Summary: Time has past since Talpa's defeat and everyone has moved on. Will the peace last and will our warriors find happiness and love? Nothing graphic but adult content will be implied. Rating up just in case.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer : I will only say this once at the beginning so as not to be repetitive. If you read it this once, then you should know it after the beginning because it holds true through the rest of the story. I do not own the ronin warriors or anything else from the series. All I own is my own personal characters that will be introduced through out this story and the plot. Just so you know, I'm a practically broke college student just trying to find my own place in life, so don't sue for anything, cuz I have nothing you could sue for. Thanks and on with the story.  
  
Prologue  
  
As the sun slowly began its ascent into the sky above Toyama, a group of friends separate on their own personal journeys. It looked to be a very peaceful day for traveling. The sky was clear, the sun was out, and a nice breeze brought the aroma of fresh cherry blossoms to everyone enjoying the warm weather. Forever forgotten to almost everyone is the attack from the Dynasty so long ago. But as logic states, almost is not all. Never to be forgotten by our close knit group, Talpa was defeated by the Ronin Warriors; Ryo of Wildfire, Sage of Halo, Cye of Torrent, Kento of Hardrock, and Rowen of Strata. Although close, and not without their own nightmares, the Ronin Warriors arose to defend the world and won. They have continued to live on with close friend, and confidant Mia Koji, in the estate she has inherited from her grandfather after the Dynasty War. Finally able to live the lives of normal teenagers, they have completed high school and now, either at or approaching the age of 18, are preparing to enter college. Mia, having attained a teaching degree early, has continued to teach her grandfather's classes, as his dying wish and to continue his legacy, as well as continue her own studies on ancient mythology. She has collected all of her grandfather's research on the Dynasty and mystical armors, adding her own data where she felt it was missing and necessary. As the summer begins, everyone makes their own trips to see family, friends, and loved ones. Mia, along with Ryo, will remain at home, enjoying a week in the peaceful house with White Blaze, and awaiting the return of their friends. Kento was off to visit his family in the city and help his parents at the restaurant. They had been short handed recently and he was going to help in the kitchen. Sage, after recently feeling the brief touch of someone familiar to him in the Nether Realm, he decided to check in with Kayura and the warlords to figure things out.  
  
Cye was off to England to introduce his girlfriend, Angel to his family during their break. They had met each other in high school shortly before Cye received his armor, and had become close friends quickly. They both kept to themselves in school, and she remained so even outside of school because of her background. Angel's mother had been of the fairy and pixie race of the nether realm. When Talpa began his campaign to take over the nether realm, Angel's mother had escaped to the mortal realm, and using her magic, disguised herself and began a new life. Angel has always shown small talents in telepathy, and so she was able to since Cye's Armor when he claimed it. Shortly after Talpa's defeat, and the nether realm was freed, the magic that was passed from mother to daughter began to manifest within Angel, and Cye was right beside her to help her learn and control it. The two have now been dating since just after the Dynasty Wars.  
  
"Are you two sure you packed everything? You don't want to find out you forgot something once you get there," Mia asked for the fifth time since they had arrived at the airport.  
  
"Like I said before Mia, yes, we have everything important. If we get there and find out we don't have it, it's either not important or we can get it while we're there. Relax, we're staying with Cye's family, there's not a whole lot we're going to need other than our tickets, our clothes and things like that. We've either got it or Cye's mom said we didn't need to worry about bringing it." Angel rolled her eyes as she reassured Mia that they had everything.  
  
"Ok, I get it, I'll stop asking. I just worry about you guys. Call it an old habit that won't die," she smiled.  
  
Ryo stood beside her and smiled at her worry. Even after the war was over she had never stopped worrying about any of them. Making sure they were going to be ok when they got really sick, making sure they were as comfortable as possible when they had the flu, even hanging over them to make sure they didn't slack when it came to school. They had given her the nickname 'mother hen' because of her habits. It was almost like having a parent again. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of thinking of Mia as another parent, but it comforted him to know that she cared enough to worry. He was happy to have people he considered family again. "Come on 'Mother Hen', Let them board the plane. Besides," he said with another grin, "the sooner they get on their plane, the sooner everyone else leaves and we get a nice peaceful house for a week"  
  
Mia grinned and gave him a friendly shove at mention of the acquired nickname and Cye feigned shock. "Why Ryo, if I didn't know any better I would think you had other motives for wanting us gone."  
  
Ryo's face flushed bright red at his friend's comment. Mia only laughed. "Ok guys, you really do need to go catch your plane before they leave you behind. Have a fun trip and we'll see you when you get back. Give us a call at some point to let us know you're still alive." Mia hugged Cye and Angel and waved them off.  
  
Next came Kento. "Don't have too much fun now Cye. Angel's going to bring back enough stories from your mom for us; you don't need to embarrass yourself too much. Right Angel?"  
  
Angel laughed, "Alright Kento. I'll share a few stories when we come home next week."  
  
Rowen and Sage each gave the two a hug. "Enjoy your vacation guys, you've earned a break together away from the bottomless pit," joked Sage.  
  
"I heard that Sage" Kento said when Sage joined him and Mia.  
  
"Have fun you two, we'll see you when you get back."  
  
"We will Rowen. And you watch out for Sage on your trip. There's something he isn't telling us. Whatever it is, just watch out for him, I think it's a really good idea that you're going with him." Angel could pick up on some of the frustration Sage was going through, but she had yet to be able to fully tap into someone's mind. She just knew that something really had him stressing out.  
  
"Will do Angel."  
  
"Don't bother telling us to be safe Ryo, we know you worry just as much as Mia does and we'll beat you to it. We'll be ok, we'll call you once we're both settled, and if anything happens, which it won't, you two will be the first to know."  
  
Ryo grinned at Angel and gave her a hug before turning to Cye. "Have fun you too. I'll just leave it at that and we'll see you when you get back."  
  
Cye laughed softly as Ryo turned to him. "Now Ryo, you better take your own advice and have your own fun. You could use some downtime. You never take yourself off guard. You can relax you know."  
  
"I'll enjoy my peace Cye. I promise, this week will be nothing but fun and relaxation. Now go before you miss your plane."  
  
Cye and Angel waved one last time as Ryo joined the others and waved goodbye as they went through the gate.  
  
After Cye and Angel were on their plane, Mia and the rest of the guys went back to the cars to see Kento off. He was going to go straight to his parent's house from the airport instead of backtracking. It wasn't long before Mia, Ryo, Sage, and Rowen were back at the estate and getting everything ready to contact Kayura. Just after the wars, the descendant of the ancients had left them a crystal orb that would allow them to contact her at any time, should they need her. And so it was through this orb that Sage stayed in contact with Kayura about his meditations and the things he had recently felt. Once Kayura was contacted, it only took a few thoughts for a gate to be summoned for them to travel into the netherworld. Everyone said their farewells and good lucks as Kayura and Anubis stepped through the gate. Mia still hadn't been able to get over the initial relief that Kayura had been able to find a way to revive Anubis. The power of the ancient had helped her. It had not been his time to pass, he still had his own family to take care of and watch grow. In the short time that he had lived in her house while helping them fight the Dynasty, he had become a close friend to her. They had shared their hopes, dreams, and happy memories during that time, he spoke of his family, she spoke of her time with her grandfather and then the Ronins. He shared his feelings of guilt over what he had done under Talpa's influence, and her wish to do whatever she could so that no one would go through what any of them had ever again. As Sage and Rowen walked through the gate, each with a gym bag of clothes, Anubis waved to Mia as she stood next to Ryo and waved.  
  
"It's nice to see you Mia, I'm glad you are doing well."  
  
"It's great to see you too Anubis," Mia smiled gently at him. "How is your family?"  
  
"They are well, and Sirene wishes to meet you, all of you before she, as she says, 'turns old and gray,'" Anubis laughed.  
  
"She is welcome to come visit, as are all of you, anytime you wish Anubis. I hope you all remember that," She spoke sincerely.  
  
Ryo gave his own smile towards Anubis as he placed an arm around Mia. "She's right, you are all welcome here at anytime. It would be nice to see you guys more often."  
  
"We will remember that Ryo, and Mia your hospitality is greatly appreciated. We will see you later." Anubis smiled as he turned back toward the gate. "Enjoy your peace alone while it lasts. You won't find many more opportunities to have all the others away." Mia and Ryo turned back to the house as the gate disappeared.  
  
"So what shall we do tonight with this huge place all to ourselves tonight?"  
  
Ryo smiled. "I don't know about you, but I say a nice quiet, simple dinner followed by popcorn and actually managing to watch a movie without the peanut gallery?"  
  
Mia laughed as Ryo held the front door open for her to pass through. "I think I agree with you Ryo. Call out for pizza?"  
  
"You read my mind," he grinned. 


	2. Rediscovered Relationships

Chapter 1: Rediscovered relationships  
  
As the light of the sun began to fade from the sky, White Blaze had been fed in the kitchen and Ryo was settled on the couch in front of the television in sweat pants and a tank top, waiting for Mia to join him for their bum out night. They had agreed to watch 'Willow' and 'Legend' for their free evening. Ryo had set out the pizza box and had the popcorn ready to go in between movies.  
  
"Come on Mia, you go any slower and we'll never get these movies started, you're running for records against Sage on a bad hair day," he laughed up the stairs.  
  
Mia was just getting out of the shower and dressing into her flannel pajama pants and a spaghetti strap tank top. She was twisting her hair up into a sloppy bun when she heard Ryo call. They had agreed to get completely comfortable and settled before they sat down to do anything. It was going to be a complete bum out night for the both of them. It was to be a chance to forget about all worries and just completely let loose with each other for the evening and get a chance to act their age for once. "I'm coming Ryo, hold your horses. I have not taken that long," Mia laughed as she hopped down the stairs to join him in the living room.  
  
"Cute cow pants Mia. I have to admit, you look cute in spots," Ryo joked as she sat beside him.  
  
"Ok Mr. Tough Guy, which movie are we watching first?" she asked as she dug into the pizza in front of them. They hadn't bothered with plates. Why worry about dishes when you could just open the box for just two people?  
  
"I put in 'Legend'. I figured you'd like that one better," he laughed. He knew she liked the movies dealing with mythological creatures and magic. They both sat quietly as they watched the movie. Mia became thoroughly entranced from the second she saw the goblins and unicorns. She had a soft spot for anything dealing with mythology. She was completely engrossed in the movie and completely forgot about all her surroundings. As the movie neared the end, she leaned against Ryo's shoulder for a pillow. When he saw that she was beginning to get uncomfortable sitting there, he motioned for her to sit up for a second. As he shifted to lean himself against the arm of the couch, he stretched one leg behind her and let the other hang off the couch. Mia lay down against him, using his stomach as a pillow. As she thought about the movie, she found it slightly ironic when compared to their lives. Ryo could tell that she was thinking seriously about something. "What's wrong Mia? What are you thinking about?" He asked as he softly brushed her hair away from her face.  
  
"I don't know, I just find this movie slightly ironic, that's all. Nothing big."  
  
Ryo frowned when she wouldn't explain further. "Mia, you can tell me if there's something wrong. You know I'm here to listen to anything. What's bothering you?"  
  
Mia kept her gaze towards the television as the final battle of the movie played out. "Nothing really. It's just weird now seeing this kind of thing in a movie. Who would have ever thought that evil really would manifest itself into a physical form." She rolled around slightly so she could look up at Ryo as they spoke. "It just reminds me of everything that happened with Talpa. He pulls his strength and power from the evil of the world, who's to say he won't come back?" She sadly looked back towards the movie. "I lost my only family the last time. There's not a whole lot left that he can take away from me."  
  
Ryo frowned at the implications and sadness in her voice. There had been nothing he could do to save her grandfather during the war against the Dynasty. He had been there when her grandfather died, and she had lost what family she had. She hadn't shown her grief then, but he knew it was there. Instead, she had thrown herself completely into trying to find the rest of their friends. He gently reached down and pulled her to face him again. "Hey, Mia, everything is going to be ok, you'll see. If Talpa decides to come back, we'll be ready for him. I know we can't replace your grandfather, but you've got us for family now, you're not alone Mia. You'll never be alone as long as any of us have a say in the matter, and I know I for one am going no where anytime soon, I promise, ok?" He could see a faint smile on her face when she looked back to the movie.  
  
"I guess there are some happy endings, but I just can't help but worry about it, you know?"  
  
Ryo grinned as he thought up a plan to himself. This wasn't suppose to be part of their night. They were both suppose to be happy and insanely bored with the house being so quiet. "Hey Mia, enough of this worry, are you forgetting who's not here at the moment? Did you forget how peaceful it is in here tonight? You know, now that I think of it, it is just a little to quiet, I guess we'll just have to do something about that," he laughed as he pinned her to him and began tickling her. Mia couldn't help laughing. He had found the ticklish spot on her sides and was rendering her immobile with his fingers. She tried to pull away but he was no match, all she managed to do was shift their positions around a little bit and give him an even better angle to get at her. Before she knew it he had her pinned beneath him and she was trying to bat his hands away.  
  
"Ryo…stop…come on…please…no…come on…Ryo…White Blaze…help!!" She was laughing so hard now her stomach was beginning to hurt. White Blaze apparently decided to help her and grabbed Ryo's arm and pulled him off the couch.  
  
"Hey, no fair, you're not suppose to turn against me Blaze. You're suppose to be helping me." Ryo laughed as White Blaze pinned him long enough for Mia to stand up and stop laughing.  
  
"That's it Blaze, hold him down," she laughed.  
  
"Oh you better get running Mia, because as soon as I get him off of me, you're really gonna get it. He won't save you this time. Blaze, no cheating, you can't help her out of this one." Ryo laughed as the tiger eased the weight just slightly off of his shoulders.  
  
Mia let out a small shriek as she saw Ryo slowly convince the tiger to let him up. She sprinted out of the living room and through the kitchen for the closest door outside. As she reached the kitchen she spared a quick glance behind her to see Ryo right on her heels. She quickly decided she wouldn't have enough time to get to the door, open it, and get outside, so she waited on the opposite side of the kitchen table for him to make a move.  
  
"I think you're just a little cornered Mia. You won't make it to that door in time." He grinned as he took in the situation. She was going to have to make a run for it and try to lose him somewhere in the house.  
  
"Don't count me out yet Ryo, maybe I want you to catch me?" she grinned at him.  
  
Ryo stood there stunned for a minute at her comment. Mia took her chance and ran past him out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Ryo had stopped to think about her comment, but not too long. She had just barely slipped past him and up the stairs. She didn't bother looking behind her to see how close he was getting. She just kept running, laughing the whole time. She could hear him gaining on her as he reached the top of the steps. Just as she turned to close her bedroom door between them, he caught up and tackled her, tickling her the whole way. "I told you I'd catch you. There's that smile and laugh. That's definitely something I need to hear more often this week. Just say it Mia, I won't stop until you say it. Say 'I, Mia Koji, will not play mother hen this week. I will have a good time and I will act my physical age while I'm home alone with Ryo."  
  
Mia tried to stop laughing to push him away from her, but the situation itself was funny enough to make her laugh all on its own. Finally Ryo stopped tickling her to let her catch her breath. "Say it Mia. I'll start again if I don't here the words."  
  
She grinned at the smile on his face. He looked too cute for words as he looked down at her. "Ok, ok, I won't play mother hen this week and I won't act older than my actual age until the kids come home oh fearless one. Hey, are you sure you really want me to act my physical age while we're alone? You know there's a whole new set of options available to us if we act our ages."  
  
If it was possible, Ryo grinned even harder at her. "Why Mia, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to be sarcastic. And that is twice now that you have made a suggestive comment to me. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to pick me up. You're on a role."  
  
"Good tactic huh?" She laughed when she remembered the look on his face before she slipped out of the kitchen. "Oh boy, you should have seen the look on your face, that was priceless."  
  
Ryo set himself on the floor beside her as they both laughed. He smiled even more to himself as he watched Mia laying beside him laughing. It was good to see her happy. "I really mean it Mia, you really should smile and laugh more often. You've got a pretty smile. I don't know when the last time I saw you really happy was. It's really good to hear you laugh again."  
  
A slight blush crossed her face as she looked back at him. "It's nice to have a reason to be truly happy again Ryo. I have you to thank for that. All of you."  
  
Ryo smiled as he stood up and helped her back to her feet. "Come on, let's go downstairs and start the other movie. I'll put the popcorn in the microwave."  
  
An hour later, they were both settled on the couch again, this time they were both laying down, each toward opposite ends. When Ryo looked up, he noticed that Mia had fallen asleep. Slowly, he got up from the couch and turned off the television. Since they already had all but a dim light, he gently lifted the peaceful sleeper into his arms. He smiled at how cute she was when she snuggled further into his arms. When he got her settled into her bed he sat on the edge and just watched her sleep for a little bit.  
  
"How in the world did I not notice how beautiful of a person you were before? I knew you were a great person and all, but there's something else there now. I don't know what it is I'm feeling now, but I'm definitely not leaving you anytime soon."  
  
Ryo sat and thought about how close their relationship was as he watched her sleep and brushed her hair away from her face. The bun had come lose while he was chasing her around and she had simply let her hair down when they settled down for the other movie. He gently lay down beside her, planning only to stay for a few more minutes thinking about things. Not long later, he fell asleep where he lay, with Mia overwhelming his thoughts.  
  
In the Nether realm, Sage and Rowen had just been introduced to the wives and families of the ex-warlords. They had all seemed very sweet and kind. They had all spent hours in one of the courtyards swapping stories and tales of their lives and experiences. They had discovered that Dais's wife, Kaley, was of the fairy race just like Angel. They had even debated for a long while about Kaley teaching Angel how to find her talents and control them to her benefit. Kaley had a power over illusions just like Dais, as well as the ability of a psychic. She had often used that power to hide her wings in order to spend some time in the mortal realm during the wars. Dais had decided early on that he did not want his wife present in the dynasty during the battles, so he sent her to a place in the mortal realm away from the fighting. Many demons would have found her to be another method of getting to him. Kaley was rather surprised to discover that not only had she not been the only one to find safety in the mortal realm, but that it was possible that many that fled, had continued to live a new life there, including raising a family.  
  
Cale's wife, Sarah, was found to be a forest nymph. She had the ability to control the plant life around her as well as communicate with the animals. She had a very extensive knowledge of herbs as well as poisons and their affects. Sage found it easy to talk to her about almost anything dealing with forest life.  
  
Sekhmet's wife, Leanna, was a healer of the Nether Realm. She often studied herbs and poisons with Sarah. Although she poses very extensive abilities, she is weakened when using them and must rest afterwards.  
  
Sirene, Anubis' wife, was the most ecstatic of all. She was a powerful sorceress and had kept extensive research on the armors. When she discovered that Anubis had succumbed to Talpa's power, she packed up their daughter and anything she felt was necessary to start a life in the mortal realm until things settled. She was very grateful towards the Ronins for saving not only the world, but her husband as well. Almost as soon as she felt it was safe for she and Nichole to return to the Nether realm, they did. Sage and Rowen invited her to visit sometime and compare her notes with Mia.  
  
Both children were happy to meet new friends. Nichole was almost a perfect combination of Anubis and Sirene. She had Anubis' fiery red hair and Sirene's bright green eyes. She was even showing the fiery spirit to match her hair. She acted as protector and guardian over Cassandra when her father, Cale, was not around. Being roughly half of Nichole's 8 years, Cassandra cannot remember the dynasty wars. She had been born just after Sarah went into hiding in the forests of the Nether Realm. She had a bit of both of her parents in her. She had deep blue hair that was almost purple and eyes that reminded of the sea.  
  
Shortly after dinner and a few stories, the two girls were sent to bed with promises of games and fun the following day.  
  
"If you all would so kindly excuse me for just a few minutes, I'll go put the girls in bed." Sarah offered to make sure Nichole made it to her own room as well so that Sirene could continue to discuss the armors and the war with the two guests.  
  
Sarah smiled and kissed her daughter good night before she left for bed.  
  
"I still can't believe you managed to raise your children completely separated from the battle. Cassandra doesn't even know it ever happened, does she?" questioned Rowen from his position underneath one of the huge trees in the courtyard.  
  
Sirene watched her daughter follow her friend and Sarah back into the temple. "Cassandra doesn't remember, no. I am sure that Nichole does. Thankfully I do not have to answer questions of where her father is anymore, but I do still worry what affect it will have on her as she grows into her powers. I know she will take after my magic, I can feel it lying dormant within her. I can only hope that I can teach her to control her powers properly when they awaken."  
  
Anubis, sitting beside his wife, gently pulled her into his arms. "She will do fine Sirene. You will teach her well, as best as you can."  
  
"She will inherit the armor Anubis. She will be the next to bear the armor of loyalty should the need arise. That I can also feel."  
  
Anubis regarded his wife with a thought filled frown. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
Sage sat quietly beside Rowen under the tree. "Is there going to be a need for the armors again? I mean, we do still have them, and if you feel the power within Nichole, there has to be a reason, right? Maybe it has to do with the presence I've been feeling in meditation. It didn't seem like anything dangerous before, but now that I'm here, there's something else now. Maybe the two aren't related, but it's there none the less."  
  
"I too have felt it. There is a growing sense of evil. Though we cannot say what it is, it is there." Sage looked up as Sarah came back into the courtyard.  
  
"Is there anything you can tell about it Sarah?" Rowen asked.  
  
Kayura sighed as she looked down at her spot across from Sage and Rowen. "We have tried to find what is behind this evil presence, but we have yet to find anything. It feels as if it has left a presence in the Nether Realm, and yet in the Mortal realm as well. There is something else at work here that we have not yet dealt with."  
  
"We have tried every option we could think of, but this evil has only left a very faint trace in this realm. There is nothing we can do from here," Leanna added in softly.  
  
"Why not try the Mortal Realm?" asked Rowen.  
  
Dais looked up at the blue haired boy. "We believe that would be our next option. We have done all we can to leave this realm protected. As Leanna said, there is nothing more we can do here. We have actually planned to return to the Mortal Realm when you return. It would be easier to find this threat if we all work together, and the easiest way to do that is for all of us to be in the same area. It has already been planned and arranged."  
  
Rowen gave Sage a questioning glance when he noticed that the blonde was still concentrating on something. "Sage, what's the matter? Do you sense something?"  
  
"No, nothing evil, it's just something familiar. I don't know. It's part of what was bugging me back home. It feels stronger here, but not evil, just familiar. It's almost as if I'm sensing someone I know here in the Nether Realm, but it's not any of you, it's someone else. But I don't know who it could be. I don't know anyone else from this realm."  
  
Kayura watched him quizzically for a few minutes while running a debate through her own mind. Her interest had been peaked and now she was curious. "Don't worry about it Sage. You will be here for a week yet, I'm sure one of us will be able to help you concentrate on finding this person if you don't stumble upon them."  
  
Sage smiled back at her. "Thank you Kayura, but you're right. Now is not the time, besides, I think it's about time that we follow the children's example and get some rest ourselves. It's getting pretty late and I for one am exhausted. We'll all have the next week to worry about our problems."  
  
Kayura stood and waited for the two at the doorway that led towards the private chambers. "Come, I will show you two where you can sleep."  
  
Sage and Rowen quietly followed Kayura to their rooms while the others separated directions for their own quarters. Everyone was thinking about the new threat that was working it's way towards them and wondering if they would be able to learn anything better in the mortal realm to help them defeat this enemy and hopefully live in peace with their families. 


	3. Peace at Last

Chapter 2: Peace at last  
  
It hadn't taken long for Cye and Angel to spot his mother when they got off the plane. They quickly shared their greetings and introductions and departed the airport. Cye had been almost completely left out of the conversation as Angel spoke with his mother about how long they had known each other and what plans were in the future for school. Cye's mother was happy to discover that Angel was also planning to go to college to start a career on the water. Unlike Cye, she planned to work in oceanography as a whole, not just with the animals like Cye had planned to do. They made quite a pair that way, both in the water working with different elements. Angel had discovered quickly after her powers had awakened that she had a power over water. She was able to manipulate it to do anything she desired if she concentrated hard enough. She was still learning to control her powers however, and could not do much. Angel was surprised to learn that Cye had told his mother of his armor and the Dynasty. After the shock wore off, she found it easier to talk about everything that happened around their relationship because of the war. She had so far remained silent about her background, but was silently debating on telling her about her mother's family.  
  
"Cye, why don't you show Angel to the guest room. You two can stay there while you're here. I'm sure you two are tired from the flight. I'll just call for you when I finish dinner."  
  
"Thank you mom. I missed you guys. As soon as we get some rest we're going to spend some time together, all of us. I want you and Angel to have some time to get to know each other. I love her more than anything mom, and I want you two to know each other." Cye gave his mother a hug before picking up his bags and guiding Angel up the staircase to the room they would be spending the next week in. Within only minutes they were both asleep within the warmth of each other's arms.  
  
When his mom came to wake them up, she almost didn't have the heart to wake them up. Fortunate for her, Cye was already starting to wake up when she came in. His eyes slowly focused on her as she opened the door.  
  
"Dinner already done mom?"  
  
"Yes dear. You two can come down whenever you want to. It'll hold till whenever you feel like coming down."  
  
Cye smiled at the thought of his mother's cooking. "We'll be right there, just give us a little bit to wake up."  
  
"Alright, see you downstairs," she smiled as she quietly closed the door.  
  
Cye turned and gently woke Angel from what looked to be a peaceful rest. "Angel, it's time to wake up, mom has dinner ready."  
  
Angel slowly awoke from a pleasant dream as Cye gently shook her. "What is it Cye? Is it time for Food? How long have we been sleeping?"  
  
"Yes, dinner is ready and we've been asleep, I would say, for about an hour, maybe two."  
  
"You know, dinner sounds good, let's go eat."  
  
Cye smiled and followed Angel down the stairs towards the kitchen to meet Cye's mother for dinner.  
  
At the Koji estate, Mia and Ryo had enjoyed the nice weather. They were both sitting on the dock of the nearby lake as the sun began to set.  
  
"Ok Ryo, what more could we possibly do today to relax? We have, so far, slept in late, acted like complete bums when we finally did wake up, and do absolutely nothing but sit around outside enjoying the weather."  
  
"Mia, Mia, Mia. We're suppose to act like that. We're on vacation, remember? No one else is here except us, it's completely quiet, and did you forget your promise to enjoy the vacation while you were able to? I can certainly recreate last night's episode if you've forgotten." Ryo laughed when she narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
"No thank you, that's quite alright. My sides heart last night because I was laughing so hard. I still owe you for that tackle too might I remind you. Don't think you're getting out of it that easily. I'll get you back when you're least expecting it."  
  
Ryo just couldn't resist egging her on once she got started. He didn't know what was going on between them the last couple of days, but he was enjoying the new closeness in their friendship. "Oh come on Mia, do you honestly think I'll give you the opening to try something? You won't get the opportunity."  
  
Mia smiled as her eyes strolled over the surface of the water. "Hey Ryo, do you think the peace will last this time?"  
  
Ryo frowned in thought before grinning. "I don't know, once Kento comes back all hell will probably break lose again. You know how he is."  
  
Mia laughed softly beside him and leaned on his shoulder. "Thanks for the laugh Ryo but that's not what I meant. Do you think there will be a need for the armors again? I mean, you guys do still have them, so there has to be a reason for it."  
  
"Mia, don't worry about it. Like I told you, if anything or anyone tries anything, we'll take care of it. We'll take things as they go. I promise you Mia, everything will be fine." Ryo wrapped an arm around her waist as he leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head. "I want you to be happy Mia. I don't want you to keep worrying about our problems. Our lives shouldn't be bringing you down."  
  
She smiled softly against him as she kept her gaze towards the scenery in front of them. "I know Ryo. It's just hard not to worry about it. We had to live worrying about it everyday for a long time. I don't know if I'll be able to let go. But I promise I will try my best."  
  
They both smiled at each other as she stretched an arm out behind him. Before Ryo knew what she was doing, Mia reached over with her other hand and pushed him off into the water. She lay on her back laughing as he came back up spitting out the water he had almost swallowed.  
  
"You think that's really funny don't you? Try this one little miss." He spoke loudly as he grabbed her ankles and pulled her down into the water with him. Both of them seemed to forget the conversation they had been having as they began an all out water fight. By the time they called a truce, both were exhausted from the exertion. Ryo was the first to pull himself back up onto the dock and he helped Mia pull herself back out. They both laughed even harder as she fell beside him on the dock.  
  
"You always know just how to get my mind off of any bad subject don't you? At least for a little while." Mia smiled as she leaned onto her side to face him.  
  
"I just like to see you happy Mia. I don't know if we are completely safe now, but I like to hope that we are. The only thing I want more than anything is peace. I don't want you or anyone else to be hurt by another war. You and the guys are all the family I have left, and I won't lose you, any of you." Ryo reached over to place an arm around her as she slid closer by his side. "You know," he asked as they both gazed up into the clear night sky, "ever since I was little, I always dreamed of finding people like you guys. I dreamed of having people I considered family again, people that would show me that I'm not alone in this world anymore. Then, once I had you guys, I feared losing what I had gained, but at the same time, I saw so much more for myself. Now, I dream about finally having the peace to start my own family, not just friends, and yet I fear growing old, and in a sense, still being alone. I want a big family. I just hope I will still be able to do that with the armor still being around. It will make things more difficult."  
  
"You will achieve your dreams Ryo, because you don't give up. You fight for your dreams. The armors won't make things that difficult. After all, I understood about them didn't I? I didn't treat you five any differently because of them did I? We're in the same place in life Ryo. We've only got each other and the other guys now. But as long as we still have that, neither of us will ever be alone again. Not as long as we can still say we have each other."  
  
Ryo looked over at her and smiled. He had found a new respect for her in the last couple of days. During the war, she had been forced to play the protector during what little peace they found, and the weak one otherwise. Afterwards, she had completely taken on the role of guardian for all of them and they taught her how to fight and defend herself. During the last couple of days, he had finally seen her truly happy. It was like seeing a whole new side of her, and he enjoyed it immensely. He suddenly found himself wanting to explore the new relationship they were building while he had the peace to do it. "You're right Mia. You're absolutely right."  
  
"Glad you agree with me, now, how about we go back to the house and change into some dryer clothes. I don't know about you, but it's getting a little uncomfortable being wet." They both laughed as Ryo softly kissed the top of her head and they walked back up to the house.  
  
Sage growled softly as he broke from his meditation. "I just don't get it. There has to be a way to figure this out. It's like I can sense the evil but when I focus on it, I get shoved away."  
  
"Don't worry Sage, maybe we can do something more from the mortal realm. The echo is very weak here in the Nether Realm. We will come through this." Sarah gracefully rose from her place beneath one of the trees in the courtyard. "I can not grasp anything from the forest here, but maybe from the Mortal realm I can. If the echo from this evil is stronger in the mortal realm, then we can sense it more easily than from here."  
  
Kayura remained in her spot underneath a ray of sunlight. "We must come through this. The fate of both realms depends on it. Sage, we have done all we can from here, we must go to the mortal realm now. If we can do nothing from there, then all is lost. We must find a way to defeat this evil from there."  
  
Sage calmly took in a deep breath to smooth his tried nerves. "I know there's not much we can do from here. It's just that with everything my nerves are getting fried. I still can't track anything on this familiar presence except that it's close. I usually meditate to calm myself or center my thoughts but it's done nothing but get me more frustrated because every time I try to focus on what I'm trying to center on, it slips out of my grasp. It just bugs me to know that there's something familiar to me here and I don't know what and then with this new evil approaching and it just keeps evading us. I mean I thought we were suppose to have peace now. What happened to going on with the rest of our lives? We were suppose to finish school, start families, grow old and then die happily. Why can't we ever just have peace for once?"  
  
Sarah was instantly at his side taking him into her arms, which he gladly accepted. She had taken a liking to this young man, who compared to her was still practically a child. They shared a deep concern and respect for nature and she would cherish him for that forever. He had also been one of the young men to return her husband to her and for that she thanked him again. She could only hope that she and the others would be able to help he and his friends through this round. "Come on Sage, we've been at this almost all day, why don't you go get some rest or take some time in one of the gardens to relax. You have stressed yourself enough for one day."  
  
Sage took another deep breath as his nerves calmed. "You're right. I'm just stressing myself out over this. I think some rest sounds good right about now. Thank you Sarah. I'll see you guys later.  
  
Kayura slowly rose from her place on the ground and followed Sarah and Sage back into the temple. Like Sage, she was deeply troubled by this new evil that seemed to evade them at every turn. She had also taken on the task of trying to find this mystery person Sage had been sensing. There were not many people in the castle that were from the mortal realm, but it would be hard to find which one Sage was picking up. If he was sensing them, they had to have some kind of psychic echo for him to sense, even if it was next to nothing. As far as Kayura knew, there was no one to fit that profile, especially one from the mortal realm. But she would not give up. She would do all that she could to help her new friends. They had saved her from the grasp of Talpa's evil, the least she could do was track down an old friend.  
  
As she walked down the halls to her own rooms, she decided to take a walk in the gardens. She always enjoyed spending time there. It relaxed her to sit in peace and smell all the flowers that had been grown there. As she walked, she no longer paid attention to her surroundings. And so she never noticed that there was another presence in the hallway until she found herself knocked off her feet.  
  
"Woah, just a little dazed out aren't you? You alright Kayura? You were really spaced there for a minute."  
  
Kayura was suddenly brought back to reality as two sturdy arms kept her from falling. "Rowen, I'm sorry. I've just been preoccupied with everything going on. I didn't mean to run into you. I was actually just on my way to the gardens to relax?"  
  
Rowen smiled and offered her his arm. "How about I join you? From the look of Sage just a little while ago and you just now, I'd say meditations haven't gone well today. Do you care to talk about it? I'm here to listen to what ever you want."  
  
Kayura smiled as they both continued the walk to the gardens. "You're right. Meditations did not go well. We have learned nothing more than we knew before, which isn't saying much. Even with the three of us together, we can't focus on this evil. It's almost like it slides away every time we try to center on it. I don't know what to do anymore. And then there's this familiar presence Sage senses. It's just one mystery after another. I don't know what to do anymore." Kayura sighed as she took a seat on one of the benches in the clearing.  
  
Rowen took her hands in his as he knelt in front of her. "Take it easy Kayura. It sounds like you're trying to take on everything at once. All that's going to do is get you frustrated. You can't do it all at once. You said it yourself that Sage will probably bump into this person on some random walk around the temple. As for this new evil, it's been agreed that you can't do anything more until we get back home and everyone gets together. Don't stress yourself out about this stuff. Just try to enjoy the little peace there is for right now."  
  
Kayura smiled as she bent down to wrap her arms around him. "Thank you Rowen. You've helped just by listening to my frustrations. I think I needed to hear someone else tell me that I couldn't do anything else from here. I needed another voice of reason besides my own."  
  
"It's no problem Kayura, we're friends and that's what friends are for." He helped her stand as he rose in front of her. "I'm here for you anytime you need to rant and rave. Besides, if the others worry half as much as I have and apparently you have also, enough people are worrying about Sage. He'll find his own way. He's good at that."  
  
"It's not just Sage's problems I'm worried about Rowen. It's his problems that share a common worry that scare me. He's worried about the outcome of this situation. What if we don't make it through it this time? What if someone gets seriously hurt this time around? We are in the complete unknown right now, and that is what scares him. I must admit it scares me as well. I fear that we shall lose everything we have gained."  
  
Rowen pulled her into his arms again to comfort her. "We can't worry about that Kayura. We can't think of it like that. We have to do what we can and hope for the best outcome. Otherwise we've already lost before the fight has begun. Things will work out as best as they can. We just have to hope that it will be fine. We know that we'll do everything we can to keep the realms safe and that's all we can do."  
  
"Thank you Rowen. If I haven't said it before or shown it, I really cherish your friendship. I'm glad to have you as a close friend. I can tell you anything without worries or fears. That means a lot to me."  
  
Rowen pulled her in for another tight embrace before guiding her out of the gardens. "I cherish our friendship too Kayura. Now, why don't we go get something to eat and head off to get some rest. You could probably use some rest just as much as Sage could. And we don't need you stressing yourself out tomorrow with the whole readjustment on top of everything."  
  
"I can't help but worry about that. Unlike the others, I still haven't found my own place in the mortal realm. I didn't have anyone there before the war. I've always been alone. All of the others have offered their homes for as long as I wish, but I don't want to intrude on them. They deserve some private time with their families without me getting in the way. I'll be staying with Anubis and Sirene at first to help with Nichole, but once I settle there I have to look for my own place."  
  
Rowen frowned in thought for a brief moment. "Why don't you come stay at Mia's with us? There's already the five of us guys, there's nothing for you to intrude on really. It's already an insane household. I'm sure Mia would welcome another lady in the house."  
  
"Are you sure no one would mind? I don't wish to impose on anyone."  
  
"Kayura, you are welcomed with us anytime."  
  
"I don't wish to impose on anyone Rowen. I can find my own place in that realm once we've settled in there."  
  
"It's ok Kayura, really. You wouldn't be imposing. I wouldn't feel right with you on your own anyway when we don't know what's coming or when. It would be safer for us to stick together anyways."  
  
Kayura smiled at his sincerity. Their friendship had come a long way since the end of the Dynasty wars. She didn't know what she would do without him anymore. "Ok Rowen, I'll stay with you guys. But when this is over, I won't impose on Mia anymore."  
  
They both agreed and headed towards their own rooms for some much needed rest and relaxation. 


	4. Closer Ties

Chapter 3: Closer Ties  
  
For the first time during their vacation, it was a stormy day outside. Ryo and Mia decided to use the dreary day to get a few ignored chores done. They had started with the laundry and had worked their way through cleaning the bedrooms. White Blaze had helped clean the clothes out of the other rooms while Ryo and Mia worked together to clean their own bedrooms. After finishing there, they headed downstairs to do the dishes they had left the day before.  
  
"You know, if we hadn't just set these here last night, they wouldn't be so bad today. I just thought I would let you know that." Mia grinned as she handed another plate to Ryo to dry.  
  
"Yes, but then we would have wasted the perfectly good day yesterday doing work when we have a perfectly good, rainy day today to do it. Don't lose sight of the purpose of this week Mia." Ryo grinned and watched her wash the dishes while he sat on the counter drying them.  
  
"Ok, I give, you're right. But what exactly is the purpose of this week Ryo?"  
  
"To enjoy our time alone without the others and to have some peace and quiet. This week is a chance to relax on our own without any added frustrations or anyone else handing their stress over to us. This week is time for us and no one else. Enjoy it. I know you know how to do that." Ryo hopped down off of the counter as he finished drying the dishes Mia had handed to him. "Come on, we finished the dishes, let's go watch a movie. We've done everything that needed to be done today." Ryo turned toward the door thinking Mia was right behind him.  
  
"I'll be right there, I'm just going to put these away really quick. Go ahead and pick one out and start it. I'll only be a few minutes."  
  
Ryo stopped short of the door and returned to the sink. Slowly he reached up and pulled Mia's hands away from the cabinets. "No way Mia. Come on, there aren't that many dishes, you can leave them on the counter for right now. We've been working all morning and most of the afternoon. We can take a break with a movie. Now, let's go." Ryo gently guided her hands back down to her sides but didn't move. He found himself lost in the smell of her shampoo.  
  
At the same time, Mia was losing herself in the light scent that was completely him. When she found her voice, she spoke so softly Ryo barely heard her. "Ryo, the movie?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, the movie. Just a second." Ryo breathed her scent deeply as he gently wrapped her arms around her waist still within his own.  
  
"Ryo, what's wrong?" She asked softly as she turned in his arms to face him. Instantly she found herself within his gaze.  
  
"I don't know Mia. It's just…a feeling. I don't know what it is, but I think I like it. It's not that anything is wrong. It's just that all of a sudden, something feels really right."  
  
"I think I know what you mean," she whispered as his lips softly met hers in a gentle kiss. Almost as soon as their lips touched he pulled away and simply gazed down into her eyes. After a few moments, Ryo's mouth descended upon hers once more with more confidence.  
  
Mia was shocked by the first kiss, and even more confused of the feelings it awoke within her. When he kissed her again, she wrapped her arms around his neck and welcomed his lips on hers. In response, he tightened his arms around her and leaned her against the counter. The more she responded to him, the more confidant he became. He enjoyed Mia's company, but he began to find that he liked being with her in this way. He wanted to know that they had a closeness that had no boundaries. He found that he wanted to be as close to her as he could in every way possible. Slowly he increased the pressure he placed on her lips and was almost shocked when she responded immediately and opened her mouth to him. This is what he had been looking for. He knew now. He didn't want simple friendship between them any longer. He wanted to be with Mia completely, to share his life with her till the end of time. The revelation hit him hard as he crushed her against him.  
  
Reluctantly she released his lips as he trailed small kisses down her cheek to her throat. She tightened her arms around him as he released a ragged sigh into her shoulder. She leaned her cheek onto his head as one hand found it's way into his hair. "What's going on with us Ryo? What are we doing?"  
  
Ryo sighed once again into her shoulder as he took in the comfort of their intimate embrace. He hadn't meant to get carried away kissing her, but he had almost lost control of himself when she responded back to him. "I don't know Mia, but I'm finding myself wanting more out of this. I don't want just simple friendship with you anymore. I want more with you Mia. I want more for us. I think we're both discovering the same thing." He loosened his hold on her only slightly as he rose once again to see her reaction.  
  
Mia was silent for a few moments as she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "I think so too Ryo," she softly whispered when she found her voice. He had constantly made her speechless tonight.  
  
Ryo smiled and gently kissed her again. "How about we go catch that movie now?"  
  
"You really want to watch that movie so bad?" she joked.  
  
Ryo laughed softly as he guided her towards the couch in the living room. "It's not the movie that's top on my list of cares right now but if we don't settle down and do something, I may just forget myself soon and remember that I'm a guy with a beautiful woman alone in the house with me."  
  
Mia laughed with him as they settled onto the couch to watch the movie they had missed last time.  
  
"Angel, are you ready for dinner?" Cye called through the bedroom door.  
  
"Yeah, come on in," she replied. Cye opened the door to see Angel dressed in a crème-colored satin dress. They were going out with Cye's mom and sister to a nice restaurant for dinner since it was their last night staying there.  
  
"Wow, you look beautiful, just like an angel," Cye complimented. Angel blushed. She couldn't believe how wonderful he was to her. She thought he was the best thing to ever happen in her life. When he had left to join the others for the final battle with Talpa, she had worried about him the whole time. When he came home, they confessed their feelings for each other and began dating.  
  
^^She looks so beautiful. I love her so much,^^ thought Cye.  
  
Angel smiled. "Well, are we going to just stand here looking stupid, or are we going to go eat dinner?"  
  
Cye snapped back to reality. "Yeah, dinner. Let's go." He waited for her to leave and gave her a quick kiss before they went downstairs.  
  
When they reached the bottom of the steps, they met up with Cye's mom. "Oh my, you truly deserve your name child. How my son found you I don't know, but I hope you make each other as happy as I've seen you so far."  
  
      The couple blushed. ^^Well, I choose to believe it was fate,^^ thought Angel as she looked deeply into Cye's eyes.  
  
      "I do too," he whispered in her ear as they walked out the door.  
  
      ^^He heard me? I guess the training on these abilities really works. I guess I'm finally getting somewhere with these powers.^^ With that, they all left for dinner.  
  
      ^^This is a wonderful way to spend our last night here,^^ they both thought. Hearing the slight echo of the sent message, they looked at each other and smiled.  
  
As the night wore on, Cye could tell that there was something bothering Angel. After talking with his mom about future plans she had gone into deep thought for the rest of the night, but it was almost like she was trying to block her thoughts from him. He knew she wasn't very skilled in telepathy yet, but he could still sense that she was trying to put a barrier between them and it scared him. They had always been so open with each other and now something was getting in the way of that.  
  
"Angel? Are you ok? You've been quiet for half the night. Is something wrong?" Cye asked concerned.  
  
Angel just shook her head and her finger around the rim of her glass.  
  
"Angel, sweetheart, talk to me. I know your blocking me." Cye put a worried arm around his thoughtful girlfriend in hopes of getting her to open up to him.  
  
"I don't know what it is Cye. That conversation with your mom just has me thinking about things that's all. I'm just finding myself slightly confused. I don't want you to worry, it's nothing big."  
  
"What is it that has you confused? Maybe talking about it will help you figure things out," he added helpfully.  
  
"Well, it's just something she asked me, about our future. I mean, yes we love each other, yes we are planning the same career, but what else? What are we missing Cye? I can't help but feel like there's something else that we should have. It's like I can tell that there is something missing in our lives that we haven't found yet, and I don't know what it is, but I can tell it's missing. I just don't know and it is completely confusing me."  
  
Cye subconsciously put a block on his own mind as he started thinking about what she had said.  
  
"Cye? What's wrong? Why did you just block me? I can't sense anything from you right now?" Angel put a hand on his shoulder as she now worried for him.  
  
^^Does she want more from our relationship or is she just not happy with it anymore? What more could I do for her. The only other steps we haven't made for each other are marriage and children…^^ Cye froze at that thought. Was her confusion because she was starting to feel the need to settle down and raise a family? Was she finding herself ready for that step? Or just wanting to be reassured that they would make it to that point in their own time.  
  
"Angel, how happy are you with this relationship? Is this what you really want in life?" Cye asked as he looked down at his own hands.  
  
Angel just looked at him in complete confusion. ^^What is he thinking? I'm perfectly happy with him. I'm just confused about what else there is for us?^^  
  
"Cye, I'm perfectly happy with you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I know that. I can't imagine a life without you Cye. I just can't help but wonder what else there is in store for us. I know we still have college yet, but I just can't help but think about what comes after that, you know? What do we have to look forward too after college Cye? I feel like we should be experiencing more of the joys life has to offer."  
  
"Angel, if you want to move on through life than let's do it. I mean we have college now, but after that we have the whole world to explore. Life will not stop for us after school. Angel I plan on marrying you once school has settled down and then we have all the joys of starting a family then. I don't know what you are looking for right now Angel, but I can assure you that we still have quite a life ahead of us."  
  
"Oh Cye, I didn't mean to scare you. I know we'll have a happy life ahead of us. I guess I just needed to be reassured that there was something else in store for us. I am happy with you Cye. I just started thinking about things and one thought led to another and my mind just started wandering from there."  
  
"It's ok Angel. You didn't scare me. You just worried me a little. How about we plan this? After we both graduate college, we'll get married. Once we get to that point, we'll talk about children and all that, ok?"  
  
"That sounds great Cye, I'm sorry I worried you. Come on, dance with me." Angel smiled as Cye stood to join her on the dance floor.  
  
Time seemed to go quickly for everyone and it was now speeding through the last few days that they would all spend separated. Rowen and Kayura had decided to take a moonlit stroll through one of the gardens. They were steadily strengthening their bond of friendship. Rowen decided he was very happy he had offered her a place to stay at Mia's house.  
  
"Rowen, what do you think will happen to all of us?" Kayura suddenly asked him.  
  
Rowen just watched her as she ran her fingers over a few blossoms. "I don't know Kayura. We'll grow old, get married, have children, and move on through life." He frowned as her face saddened.  
  
"That's not what I meant Rowen. What do you think will happen to all of us when this new evil arises? Do you truly think we can survive this time?"  
  
Rowen stood still for a moment to gauge his answer. He was a little scared, yes, but he had faith in the strength of the friendship they all shared. He wanted to believe they could do anything if they stuck together. "Kayura, I don't know what will happen, or even when it will. What I can assure you of is that I know we'll all try our best, and that's all we can do. We just have to hope that it's enough. If we go into this thinking we've lost, then the game is already over before it's even begun. We have to believe in each other Kayura. We have to believe in our friendship."  
  
Rowen was slightly shocked when Kayura wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I'm really scared about this Rowen. This fight is going to be beyond the level of our fight with Talpa, I just know it. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. I am so scared that things won't end as well this time around. There are no rules that say good will always triumph. What will happen if we lose?" Kayura silently began to cry into his shoulder.  
  
Rowen held her gently to him. "I don't know what will happen Kayura, but if we lose, then at least we tried our best. That's all we can do."  
  
"Thank you Rowen. You always seem to be there when I need to voice my thoughts. I don't know how to ever thank you for that."  
  
Rowen smiled down at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they continued their stroll. "We're friends Kayura, and that's what I'm here for. You can talk to me anytime you need to. I'll always be there for you, no matter what."  
  
Kayura smiled back up at him as they continued on with a companionable silence.  
  
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the temple, Sage was lost in a daze as he wandered the hallways. He had yet to be able to find the person he had been looking for and he was quickly running out of time in the Nether Realm. He doubted they would get much time to come back once they left. For all they knew they would be going home to a battle. Everyone could only hoped they still had time.  
  
"This is going to drive me insane. I have been all over this temple looking for any sort of clue and I have found nothing. Not one thing strikes any sort of spark in my mind as someone, or something, familiar from home. What could it possibly be that pulled me here? Oh great now I'm talking to myself. I'm really starting to lose it now. If Rowen ever heard of me having conversations with myself he would fall down laughing."  
  
Sage just kept aimlessly turning corners, not even noticing where he was going. So lost in his own daze, he jerked to a stop when he felt the pull to his mind again, and this time it was stronger. As he looked up around the next corner, he noticed a woman with flowing blonde hair go through a door to one of the small courtyards. Swiftly he ran down the hall to try to catch up with the woman. As he entered the courtyard, he saw the second door swing shut. Sage's chase for the mysterious woman seemed endless. He always caught up just to see her taking another turn or entering another doorway. Finally, he entered a hallway and saw no sign of her. He quickly decided to check behind the door that lay just a few yards down the hall, and if he saw no sign of her, he would call it bedtime. As he neared the door and reached to slide it open, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He still felt her presence very closely. He could identify her as the one he had been searching for all along. Now he just had to find out who she was, and what she meant to him. Slowly and quietly, Sage slid the door open.  
  
Before he even had a chance to open his eyes he found himself lying on the floor. He reached up to the now tender area behind his head in a daze.  
  
"Ow, that smarts," he groaned. As he tried to pull himself to his feet, he noticed the subject of his pursuit on the floor with him.  
  
"Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't know you…" she trailed off as she took in his face.  
  
Memories from childhood suddenly flew through his mind. He saw himself with this same girl as he had grown up. Then he saw his last memory of her, just after he had acquired his armor.  
  
"Anna?" he asked as he reached up to rest a hand against her cheek. It had to be a dream.  
  
"Sage? Is that really you?"  
  
That voice was all Sage needed to bring him back to reality. Before Anna knew it, she was in his arms as he swung her around.  
  
"I can't believe I found you again," he practically sobbed. Sage set her back down on her feet and just stared at her for a few moments before he found his voice again. "How did you get here?"  
  
Once the shock had worn off, Anna remembered the last time she had seen the blonde warrior. Suddenly, Sage found himself being pushed away. "Forget how I got here. You made it crystal clear that you didn't care when you left."  
  
Sage followed her down the hallway, determined not to give up. "Anna, I did care. That's why I left. I didn't want you involved."  
  
Anna spun around to turn an angry glare towards him. "Yeah, that was made clear when you never even wrote me Sage. If you didn't want me in your life anymore all you had to do was say so. You couldn't even tell me the truth."  
  
"Anna, please," he begged. "What was I suppose to do? Say 'Hey Anna, I just found this mystical armor and I'm suppose to go save the world. See you when I get back?" he asked. By now both were upset from the memories resurfacing.  
  
"It would have been the truth," she bit as tears found their way down her cheeks.  
  
Sage gathered her to him to comfort himself as well as her. "I'm sorry Anna. I just wanted you safe. I didn't even know if I would survive. I didn't want you waiting for me to come back."  
  
"I would have gone with you," she whispered as she buried her face into his shoulder.  
  
"Then I would have worried about you being safe even more than I did. It wasn't safe for you to come with me. I very nearly didn't make it through alive. I cared too much to put you in that position."  
  
"That was my decision to make Sage. I've been here the whole time. Do you realize how long that seemed? I was brought into this realm with another group at the beginning of the war with Talpa. A few of us escaped the soldiers and I've been here, at this temple ever since. Do you realize what that was like for me? I kept dreaming that one day you would come for me. I would get to have one of the most important people in my life back again and he would take me home. But you never came. Did you even think of me Sage? After awhile, I finally gave up that dream. Then I heard that you were the one with the armor of Halo, and you still hadn't come for me. That was when I decided you must not have cared. If you hadn't told me the truth about the armor then you must not have wanted me that close to you, and if you kept that truth from me, and hadn't come for me, then you must not have wanted me in your life anymore. So here we are Sage, what brought you? I know it couldn't have been me, because you sure as hell waited long enough. Sorry, but it's a little late for the rescue, I don't need it now."  
  
Sage tightened his arms around her waist. "I did think of you Anna. I tried to get in contact with you or your family, but I never got anything back. I figured if you hadn't answered my letters you must have decided that you didn't want me around. I truly did care about you Anna. I have missed you so much while you were gone. If I had known before that you were here I would have come as soon as I could." Sage pulled away just far enough to look into her eyes. "But I didn't know Anna. I wasn't able to sense you until just recently. How I am able to sense you I don't care, but I can, and I did. I am truly sorry that you have been all alone here. I never wanted things to turn out this way. All I can say is I'm sorry."  
  
Anna sighed deeply as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I missed you so much Sage. All I wanted was to know what was going on, where you were, why hadn't you come back to me?"  
  
Sage closed his eyes as he breathed in the scent of her hair. "I missed you too Anna. I swear if I had known, I would have been here. But I'm here now Anna. Please, come back with me? Come back to Mia's with me. Stay with me, come back into my life Anna. You belong in my life. I can't imagine losing you again."  
  
Anna remained silent as mere moments seemed to last forever. Sage was beginning to lose hope when she simply answered with a yes. Sage was shocked. Had she really said what he thought she had? "You will? You'll come back with me? Please say you mean it. I can't lose you again Anna."  
  
Anna looked up into his surprised eyes. "Yes, I'll come back with you."  
  
The pair lost track of time as they laughed and cried tears of joy for their reunion. After they had calmed down, they gathered themselves together, said goodnight, and both went off to bed to dream happy dreams of their lives back together.  
  
The sun was setting on the last peaceful night at the Koji manor. Ryo and Mia were settling down in the living room for one last movie night. They had both enjoyed the last week alone. Time alone it seemed, was exactly what they needed to cure their stressed out lives. They had found themselves forming a closer friendship than they had before. They were even discovering feelings they had left buried and unknown. This week had begun a time of experimenting within their relationship.  
  
"This week has gone by pretty quickly. I can't believe everyone is coming home at some point tomorrow." Mia sighed wistfully as they spread the comforter in front of the television. They had agreed to lay down on the floor for their movie marathon this time. That way they could comfortably crash in the living room when ever they felt tired.  
  
"I know. I really enjoyed this week Mia. It's been nice to have some quiet time." Ryo smiled as they both stretched out on the floor. "The best part was getting some time alone with you, Mia. This time has been great for whatever is building between us. I'm really grateful for the chance we've been given."  
  
Mia smiled as they both settled into the movie. Ryo had surprised her with a horror movie to start off tonight's marathon, and it didn't take long for Mia to turn away from the TV and bury her face into his shoulder hiding from the villain. Ryo smiled as he wrapped an arm around her. "Hey, Mia, you aren't scared of a movie are you?"  
  
Mia looked up and scowled at him. "Oh yeah, pick a movie where the girl lives in the middle of nowhere and she's being stalked by a psychopathic killer. No, there's no reason for me to be a little spooked by this one. No reason at all."  
  
Ryo smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh come on. You've got me here, remember? I'm the 'oh fearless one', the 'oh great protector'. Any psycho that comes stalking you is going to have to go through me first. I can't have just any guy stalking my woman now can I?"  
  
Mia grinned and looked up at him. "You're woman huh? So now I'm your woman? What if I don't want to be your woman? What if I don't want to be anyone's woman? Huh?"  
  
"Yup, didn't anyone tell you? See, since I was the leader, and the leader always gets the girl; the girl being you, that means you are now mine. So what are you going to do about it huh? I conquered evil for you." He smiled at her as she sat on top of his waist trying to pin him to the floor.  
  
"Well see, you may have conquered evil, but who ever said that you had conquered me?" She asked as she looked down at him.  
  
"Well I guess I'll just have to win over the great Miss Koji now won't I?" He asked softly as he stared up at her.  
  
Mia smiled at the passion she saw in his eyes. She was starting to realize just how much she had come to love the young man beneath her. In the last couple of years she had known him, he had worked his way deeply into her heart. These last couple of days it was almost like a wildfire had been lit within his eyes when he watched her. Her grin grew bigger as she felt the heat radiating from him. "Then again Ryo, like I said before, maybe I do want you to catch me."  
  
Ryo softly reached up and placed his hands on her hips. "Mia, I would catch you where ever you ran, no matter how far I had to go." Slowly, he sat up and sealed his promise with a kiss. Before long the movie was forgotten in the passion. Ryo shifted from his place on the floor to place Mia beneath him, his weight on one arm to the side of her. Mia reached up to run her fingers through his soft, dark locks. It was like a dream come true for both of them. Ryo traced the line of her cheek with his free hand as he softly kissed down her throat. He hadn't expected to battle his own self- control tonight. But he couldn't resist when he remembered that it would be their last chance alone for a bit of time. And so he indulged himself and showed Mia his feelings for her. Hesitantly, he pulled away from her to look into her eyes. He suddenly realized he could lose himself in the depth of them. They were endless pools to his gaze. He gently reached up to brush some of her tousled hair away from her face. "I think I've fallen in love with you Mia Koji."  
  
Mia gazed up at him with all the love she felt. "That's probably a good thing, because somewhere along this rough road, I've fallen in love with you too Ryo. You've caught me and now I'm yours for as long as you want me."  
  
Once again, Ryo claimed her lips with his own, this time with more passion than ever. As Mia moaned into his mouth and arched against him, they threw all caution into the wind and decided to fully express their love. 


	5. Homecoming

Chapter 4: Homecoming

Dawn had set forth a beautiful new day as Cye and Angel said their goodbye's to his mother. The week had gone by quickly and the two women had grown very close. Cye was beyond happy that the two most important women in his life got along so well. He knew his mom would love Angel, but it still made him happy none the less.

"Now Cye, you two had better call me when you get back home. I want to know you got there ok."

Cye was brought out of his daydream by his mother's voice. "Yes mum, I know, we'll give you a call as soon as we walk in the door. Nothing is going to happen during the flight back."

"Yes, I know, children know all. It's just a mother's nature. I worry, always have and always will. Now you two better get going. You don't want to miss your flight."

Five minutes and countless hugs later, Cye and Angel were on their way through the gate and boarding their plane. It didn't take them long to get everything situated and get settled into their seats.

"I can't believe this week went by so quickly Cye. I'm going to miss your mom, I'm really glad I got to meet her. I can see why you were brought up so well now."

Cye laughed as he took hold of her hand. "I'm glad you two got along so well. I'm not sure if that will be a good thing for me in the future though. You two will likely team up on me later down life's little road. And with this little link building it might be a little worse for me."

Angel smiled brightly as she remembered the new lengths of their bond. They had been able to hear faint echoes of each others thoughts just earlier in the week. It seemed they had broken another boundary between them and connected on a whole new level. No one new the limits her powers would go. "Cye, do think I'll always be able to control this, power? The mind is a powerful thing. What if it becomes too strong for me to handle?"

Cye wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "It'll be alright, Angel, together we'll be able to handle it. As long as we have each other we can do anything. As long as you keep up with it, you can keep it under control. If you're really worried, Sage and I will help you as best as we can. We'll talk to him when everyone gets home ok? You've got friends here for you; you don't have to take anything on alone."

Angel smiled and quickly kissed his cheek as she felt the feelings of security and safety flow through their bond. "Thank you Cye. I'm just a little worried. I just don't know how much I can handle. We will see though. I think this has opened up a whole new adventure for us Cye. It may have its downsides, but the stronger bond we have gained makes it all that much better."

The two lovers smiled at each other and leaned against each other as they tried to get some sleep on their long ride home.

At the Nether Realm temple, it seemed almost as if an army was getting ready to ride off to war. Looking closer at the group would tell anyone that was not so. What seemed like an army, was merely a large group of people either getting ready to depart the temple, or wishing farewell to those leaving. An even closer look would show that although there was a large group of people in front of the temple, it was made of many small group scattered through the area. Everyone had settled into their own groups to discuss how they would begin their new lives in the mortal realm.

To the north end of the temple's field sat Dais and his wife Kaley. They made a beautiful picture sitting on the grass as they were. Dais sat with his legs crossed in the lotus position facing his wife. Kaley sat with both legs bent gentle underneath her facing her husband. The spoke quietly of their future plans. Life would not be difficult for them to begin in the mortal world. Kaley had been hesitant to abandon her new life among the mortals even after Talpa had been defeated. Caring deeply for his wife and wishing to give her anything she pleased, they made numerous visits between realms. Kaley had been fixing up a house out in the forest not too far from Mia's land. She also had a small pet shop in town that she left almost completely in care of employees when she returned to her husband. They both would be happy to settle in their new home and begin caring for the shop themselves.

"I can't wait to get back to the store Dais. I hate not being there very often. They must think I don't care for it anymore." Kaley sighed deeply as she twirled more blades of grass around her finger in deep thought.

Dais reached forward to lift her gaze towards him. "I don't think they wonder about it love, you told them you needed to be away more often. They understand that you haven't left the animals for good. You have always been able to connect to them. No one who knows you would ever believe you could turn your back on them. They know you'll be back. I'm sure they will welcome you with open arms when we both walk in tomorrow."

Kaley smiled at him. "You'll come with me? You'll help me take care of the animals now that you've broken away from Talpa?"

Dais nodded and Kaley wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you Dais. I know the shop will do well with both of us there."

Dais pulled away from her enough for them to look eye to eye. "Kaley, you will still need to take some time away from the shop even when we move back. Rowen and Sage's friend will need your help. She has never known anything of her background other than where she comes from. She will need help from one of her own. She needs guidance Kaley, guidance that you may be able to give her."

"I know Dais," Kaley whispered as her gaze returned to the ground beneath them. "I never could have imagined that some of my people would escape much like I had. I am very grateful that there is a younger generation besides the children we will one day raise. I am very happy to know that the fairy race will not die with me. The blood will thin, but we will continue on and the magic will stay alive in the world."

"That it will love, that it will. And if you can teach her of her powers, than she will become strong enough to continue the line. You will see your people live again Kaley."

"Oh Dais, I've always dreamed of this. It's almost too good to be true. From what they have told me, she has the powers of a telepath and a psychic. She will become strong in her powers without me. I will merely help her control her thoughts and keep her mind as her own. Without help the power would almost certainly control her. I will help her do the opposite. She will control her own mind, and with that, she will do wonderful things. I just know something important is about to happen and she will be with us through it. It will be a rough road ahead, but I think all of us together will be strong enough to handle it. We will survive this new threat. We have to, for everyone's sake."

Unbeknownst to the illusionists, another conversation was taking place very similar to theirs. Anubis and his wife, Sirene, were discussing their own arrangements in the mortal realm. So many new options would be left open to the sorceress and her husband. They already had a horse ranch within a reasonable distance of Mia's house. It had been purely chance that when mapped out, Mia's property seemed to fall somewhere around the center point of the warlords' homes in the mortal realm. Although once it was mentioned, Sirene chose to believe it was fate that had brought them all so close. They were meant to be part of one another's lives. That was part of her power as a sorceress. She had the ability to see the future some times. She could never command it, or completely see what her visions were trying to tell her, but when she had a hunch about something, it usually proved to be right, and she believed something had pulled them together. Whatever it was, it had a reason, and from what she could guess, it had reason to keep them together.

"Anubis, do you really think Mia will have anything of use? What are the odds that something was left in the mortal realm? Even if it were, there probably isn't anything that we don't have here."

"Sirene, love, it may not be a matter of where the information is, but a matter of finding it. Mia's data was left to her by her grandfather. He has copied every scroll and book to file for reference. He has made a copy of all information he has ever found for any artifact. There is a lot of data for Mia to search through that she has not even touched. There very well may be something there that we don't have and there might very well be something here that she has not. You will never know until you search through the information you have. You are a powerful sorceress Sirene. You have many spells within your mind that may be able to help and you have much more knowledge in the magic arts than Mia. You may be able to notice something that she does not that may be of value to us. Mia is very diligent in her work. You two will get along wonderfully and you make a powerful team."

"I know we will Anubis. I mean no disrespect to Mia. I am very eager to meet her. I just wonder about leaving all of this here. There are many scrolls that we have not moved yet and I am hesitant to leave them without my care. The scrolls and spells I have collected are very much a part of me. They are my life's work and my safety in time of need. There are some scrolls I may need and what if I do not have them? I may not have the ability or time to come back to find them."

Anubis gently hugged his wife. "Sirene, you must calm down. Everything will be fine. You will have all of your scrolls in time. We just have to make more trips to transfer them all. We just can't keep a gate open long enough to get all of them in one trip. You have a full library here and you will have one there. You have already transferred the scrolls and spell books that you thought were more important. If you have not already moved it, it is not necessary to have it immediately by you and you have not felt it important to remember. You have a natural ability to feel out what you need, Love."

Both parents turned as they heard their child and her playmate break into loud giggles. Sirene took a deep breath. "I'm worried about her too Anubis. Odds are very slim that she will be a normal child. You know what her future holds. Her father carries a mystical armor and her mother was raised surrounded by magic. She will inherit qualities of both. How well will we be able to raise her around normal children Anubis?"

"We will not bring her up around only normal children Sirene. She will have Cassandra and she will have the children of the other warriors. She will have to play the elder one way or another Sirene, and we can not protect her forever. Mia has volunteered to school her as well as she can until we believe it safe to place her among other children. We knew she would face this one day Sirene. She is still our young one, but she is getting old enough to begin realizing new responsibilities and new freedoms. She will have a hard road in front of her. Let her enjoy peace while she can. Worries will come later. For now, we will have the ranch and raising our daughter. Let us enjoy that. As you said, everything happens for a reason. This turn of events is not excluded. Perhaps this is a better road for her?"

Sirene frowned. "Perhaps it is, perhaps it's not. I suppose we'll never know will we?" Both parents leaned toward each other for support as they watched the two children play and race around the field. "She is so innocent Anubis. How do we help her when her power begins to manifest within her? Only she will know her true limits and only she will know her true potential. How long will I be able to teach her before her power surpasses even my own? We know it will happen. We have both seen the chances for it. Even now her habits are changing as she grows. She is already beginning to feel the magic flow through her, be it from me or from you. She feels it, and it is strong within her already. That, I can feel."

Kayura and Rowen stood in their own small portion of the field as evening descended on the crowd. Rowen had decided to take it upon himself to show her what life could hold. They had gained a stronger friendship between them recently. He shared his scientific knowledge with her and she shared what she knew in the mystic arts. They had both opened whole new worlds of thinking and reasoning to each other. Rowen was beginning to see a whole new wave length in life, as was Kayura.

"Rowen, this plan just might actually work. We will have to see what the others find in the mortal realm. You are truly wonderful, did you know that?" Kayura smiled as she threw her arms around him.

Rowen grinned as he accepted her hug. "It was a group project Kayura. You helped. You're the one that thought of mixing magic and science. It was you who thought to cross that bridge. I just suggested how to go about it. Once you mentioned the combination, it was just a natural curiosity to see if science could pick up an energy fluctuation that could possibly indicate something magical. Almost any magical being will have to resonate with a magical energy. It's in their essence, we just have to get a general direction and then try to set up something to pick up exactly strong and pinpoint a location. If we can figure out anything from the energy being dispersed, we might be able to figure out how to counteract it."

Kayura frowned when he set her down. "I won't be much good to you aside from giving you a general area to search. I'll just be a burden to you all. I haven't completely set in with my powers as the ancient. Anubis had much more control than I have acquired."

"Kayura, you will not be a burden. You can help Mia and the others search all kinds of myths and prophecies. You know more of the Nether Realm than us. You have more of the background. You will be able to help. I can teach you science and anything else while we figure this out. It will not be an over night job Kayura. This will take some time. You have the ability to learn what you need to and use it to our advantage."

"All I did before was fall victim to Talpa's will. How can I guarantee I won't do so with this new evil? I could put you all in greater danger just because of my lineage."

"I will stand behind you Kayura. I will not let you fall in this battle. I refuse to lose you in this. We just discovered a wonderful friendship and I won't lose it now. I don't want you to be afraid of taking a chance in this. If you fear the possibilities, we'll never win this. We'll lose from the beginning. Together, I know we can win this battle, just like we won against Talpa. We brought you back from under his control Kayura. Let us stand with you. Let me stand with you."

"I will believe in you Rowen. I will believe in our friendship. You're right; my doubts will be my downfall. I believe you are my light Rowen. You have been sent here to guide me I believe. If it weren't for you, I don't know where my doubts would have led me."

Rowen pulled in tight to him again. He closed his eyes tightly as he held her to him. "I will never let you find out Kayura. You should never have to experience what you have again. You were young before when Talpa took you and slaughtered your village. You're stronger now. You can stand for yourself and you have me to stand behind you. I won't let you fall again."

Time would not pass up another pair of lost hearts a second time. Sage and Anna took their time telling each other stories of what had happened during the period they were apart. Anna learned everything she had missed out on in Sage's life from gaining his armor to fighting Talpa and moving in with Mia and the other guys. Anna had been very anxious to hear about all of his friends. She loved sitting and laughing with him again. She was very eager to meet the people who had helped him through the rough times in their lives.

"Anna, I've shared everything I can think of with you, and yet it still seems like you're holding back. You haven't said anything of how you found your way here or why you even ended up in the Nether Realm. Please, I want to know what happened."

Anna frowned slightly and looked to the ground. "Sage, it was nothing important. It was just a really hard time. We were captured and brought here. I and a few others escaped and wandered for I don't know how long before we found our way to this temple." She gave him a small smile as she looked back at him. "Sage, nothing I went through was as hard and trying as what you've been through. Honestly. I'm sorry for being mad at you for only wanting to protect me. I've been at the temple almost since the time I got here. Just after the war, Kayura came and life became nothing but peaceful. The only thing I was missing was you. Now that we've found each other again, nothing will break us apart. I'm here for you Sage. For now and forever I will be here. I promise with all my heart."

Sage simply pulled her into his arms as they sat and enjoyed the sunset. He was willing to let time freeze forever in this one moment. He had finally found the person that was missing in his life all this time.

"Sage, we'll be like this forever right? We'll never lose each other again, will we?" Anna tightened her arms around his waist and he returned the gesture.

"No Anna, we won't. As long as you want to stay by me, I'll protect you. But there's something I have to tell you. You have power Anna. You have the potential to wield great power within you."

Anna looked up at him curiously. "What do you mean Sage? There's nothing special about me. You're the one with the power and the skill. There's a reason you left me behind when you discovered your armor."

Sage tightened his arms around her once again. "Yes, Anna, there was a reason I left you behind. But it wasn't because you were a burden. You do have a wonderful power within you. I can feel it. The armor has strengthened my mind a great deal in the time I've had it. I can feel a power deep within you. I know it's there. You only have to discover it for yourself. I plan to help you all I can. We'll be strong together. We'll be unbreakable, no matter what comes our way.

And so the warriors were left to gather their thoughts and loved ones close as they thought over what their future would hold.

Peace and quiet were left floating over the Koji estate as Mia and Ryo were chased by White Blaze back to the house. The tiger had taken to racing Mia's jeep as a game of choice. Mia didn't have any objections; it gave the tiger a good amount of exercise since he usually stayed so cooped up in the house. It was good for the tiger to get outside and run like he was.

When they got home, Ryo helped Mia get the groceries inside and put away. Once everything was put away Ryo played the messages that had been left on the answering machine.

"Hey couch potatoes. I just wanted to tell you guys not to worry about picking up Cye and Angel. I'll pick them up on my way back. We'll probably grab something to eat on the way since we'll be getting back a little late. Don't wait up and definitely don't wait for us for dinner. We all miss you guys and we'll be back soon. Ryo, you better not have corrupted our mama hen too much while we've been gone."

Ryo quietly laughed as he heard the phone click off.

"What was that message Ryo? It sounded like Kento."

Ryo walked up behind Mia and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Yeah, that was Kento. He said not to wait for them for dinner. He'll pick up Cye and Angel at the airport and they'll stop on the way for something to eat."

"Did he say what time they'd get here?" She asked as she spun around to face him.

"Nope, he just said they'd be back a little late. So we have the house to ourselves for practically another night. So what do you say you go up, take a shower, get comfortable, and I'll put a nice dinner for two together for us to celebrate?"

Mia smiled and kissed him quickly on his cheek. "Sounds like a plan. I won't be long."

Half an hour later, Mia returned downstairs to find a candlelight pasta dinner for two set in the living room. She stood in shock for a few brief moments as she took in the breathtaking setup. She heard music playing softly through the stereo system. As she finally recovered, Ryo eased his arms around her waist from behind.

"Would you care to dance, my lady?" he whispered gently in her ear.

Mia simply nodded and allowed him to guide her to the center of the room. The lovers simply danced for what seemed like hours before either was able to speak their thoughts.

"Ryo, this is all so beautiful. You did a wonderful job for a quickly thrown together evening."

"It's all for you Mia. I did after all have to show you that I can be romantic, right?"

Mia smiled and snuggled deeper into his arms. "I'm so glad we had this chance. Just think of what we could have missed out on?"

"I prefer not to think of that Mia. I think we would have come around on our own. Just a little slower, that's all. You know, when I think about everything we've been through, I think we had these feelings all along, we just didn't see it. There were actually a few times I was jealous you know. There were times I thought you might choose Sage over me."

Mia stepped away and looked up at him. "Why did you think I would want to be with Sage?"

Ryo glanced away from her. "There were times you just seemed closer to him. You seemed to back away from me at times. I didn't know how to take it."

"Oh, Ryo," Mia reached up and gently turned his eyes toward her. "I never wanted to be with Sage, Ryo. Of all of you, you were the one I had even a small attraction toward. Sage is like the brother I never had. The rest of the guys all are. Before we found the others, I felt so useless. I didn't like that feeling. Sage was just the one I felt I had to prove myself to the most. Of all of you, he seemed to be the one that stood most against me being involved in anything. You helped me stand on my feet Ryo. You didn't always agree with it, but you allowed me to help you however I could. I didn't feel the need to prove myself to you. That's what I loved most about you. You didn't pull me along. You stood behind me and helped push me on the paths I chose. You let me make my choices and protected me from the things that wanted to stop me along the way. Never doubt my intentions, ok? I promise you, you are the only person I even wanted to be with. And I wanted to be with you for who you are, and what you are to me."

"I love you Mia. You truly are my heart and soul. I'd be lost without you." Ryo leaned down and gently kissed her lips. What started as sweet and innocent soon became deeper with the love they wanted to prove to each other. It seemed like an eternity before they both broke away for breath. "Marry me," Ryo whispered without opening his eyes.

"What?" Mia asked, once again breathless.

Ryo opened his eyes and looked deeply down into hers. "Marry me. Be with me forever, not as a companion, but as my friend, my lover, and most of all, my wife. Marry me Mia, please?"

Mia laughed lightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes," she whispered into his ear.

Ryo only smiled and pulled her against him tightly. The pair of lovers seemed to lose all track of time as they danced into the evening surrounded in their own blissful happiness.

Kento stood in the lobby of the airport waiting for the flight that carried his two friends to arrive. It had been a long week at his parents' house. No matter how much Mia complained about how busy and noisy her house seemed to be, he always found going home to be even busier and noisier. He smiled when he spotted Cye and Angel coming into the main lobby with their bags in tow. He waved to signal when he saw them searching for a familiar face.

"CYE, ANGEL!!"

Angel smiled when she spotted him. She lightly pulled on Cye's hand to signal she had found someone. Cye smiled with her when he spotted Kento and walked with Angel to where Kento was waiting for them. Angel was quickly caught in a tight bear hug as Kento swung her around in circles.

"Angel, Cye, it's good to have you guys back again. Man did I miss having people my own age around. A week with younger siblings makes for a long vacation."

"Oh come on Kento, you know you love your family. You wouldn't have them any other way." Cye grinned as Kento let his girlfriend down and welcomed him back.

"Too true, but they don't compare to you guys. I can rough house with you and not worry about breaking too much."

Cye just shook his head and laughed as he wrapped an arm around Angel's shoulders and guided her out of the door towards the car.

Angel however pouted at Kento's comment. "Speak for yourself. I still end up pretty battered when you involve me. Don't forget the bruises I got the last time. I looked like someone seriously beat me."

Kento smiled at her. "Why isn't that what happened? You did get whomped didn't you? I could have sworn you did."

Angel simply pouted as they all climbed into the car.

"So how is the family doing Kento?" Cye asked once they were on the road back home.

"They're doing pretty good. The restaurant's business has picked up but mama likes it when it's busy. I think it just feeds her ego knowing people like her cooking that way. She's one of the best cook's in the area now."

Cye and Angel laughed as Kento continued to tell them of all the things he and his siblings had been up to for the past week while they enjoyed to ride home.

Back at Mia's house, she and Ryo had fallen asleep on the couch while watching TV after they had eaten. Mia rested snuggled deep into Ryo's arms as they both lay stretched across the couch. Ryo faintly heard the door open, but ignored it and tried to fall back to sleep.

"Ryo, Mia, we're home," Kento called as he walked through the door.

"Kento, they may have already gone to bed. Don't scream and wake them up." Angel smacked him as she walked by with Cye right behind her.

Ryo stirred again as he heard noise coming from the main hallway leading from the front door. He gently eased Mia down onto the couch as he leaned up to look towards the entrance to the living room. He smiled when he saw Cye and Angel try to quiet Kento as they walked into the room.

"Kento, don't be so loud. If they're already asleep there's no need to wake them up."

"Sorry Angel. I didn't mean to be so loud. If they went to bed…"

"We're already awake Kento, don't worry. I'm awake at least," Ryo called softly as he eased himself back down onto the couch and wrapped his arms back around Mia.

"Aww, don't you two look so cute," Angel cooed as she came around the couch to see Ryo and Mia curled in each others arms.

"Wow Ryo, we go away for a week and you put the moves on Mia? What are we gonna do with you?" Kento joked as he joined Angel in front of the pair.

Cye quietly walked in behind Angel wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning his chin on her shoulder. "Why don't you two head up to bed Ryo? We're home and it's probably more comfortable in an actual bed."

Ryo simply nodded in agreement. As Kento helped him shift Mia to allow him to stand without waking her they heard the door open once again followed by soft footsteps. Ryo glanced back to the doorway once he had removed himself from the couch. He smiled when he saw Sage and Rowen grinning back at him. "Glad to see you guys are home."

"Umm, Ryo, about us being home. We have a favor to ask. I know we should be asking Mia, but well, she's already asleep and well..."

"Just spit it out Sage."

Sage twiddled his thumbs as he looked toward the floor. "You see, we kind of brought a couple of people with us. They kind of need a place to stay and…"

Rowen motioned for someone else to enter the living room as Sage beat around the bush. When he fell silent, Rowen decided to speak up. "They followed us home, can we keep them?"

Ryo laughed as he saw Kayura and an unknown blonde girl shyly step in behind Rowen. "Kayura, you know you are always welcomed here, and I don't know who this other young lady is, but if she's with you guys, she must be a friend and therefore is also always welcome. You know Mia wouldn't say no to a friend. Speaking of Mia, I'm taking her up to bed and then going back to bed myself. You guys know where the guest room is. See yourselves to bed." He then leaned down and gently lifted the still slumbering Mia into his arms. As snuggled into Ryo's chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, Angel spotted the ring on her left ring finger.

"Woah, woah, woah. Wait just a minute there firefly. Where did that ring come from and what did we miss while we were gone? Just how cozy are you two now?"

Ryo blushed as he looked down into Mia's face. The other guys quickly ran to see what Angel was talking about.

Sage was the first to overcome his shock. "That, my friend, is an engagement ring. When exactly did this happen? Why didn't you tell us? Isn't this a little quick? I mean congratulations but how? When?" Sage quickly found him self speechless again.

Anna walked up behind him and pulled him away from the newfound couple. "Sage, will you stop being rude. It apparently happened while you guys were at the temple and at that time neither of them could have told you so don't act so dumbfounded. By the way, my name is Anna. I was a friend of Sage's before the war. It's nice to meet the people who stood by him through everything I couldn't be there for."

Ryo smiled at her in thanks. "Thank you Anna. It's nice to meet you. As for Sage's questions, yes everything happened rather quickly while you were gone. I proposed earlier tonight. Before you start asking more questions, yes, we're both sure about this. Now if there's nothing else, I'm taking my fiancé up to bed before you all wake her up. Goodnight and I'll see you all in the morning." Ryo smiled at all of them before heading up the stairs with Mia. After settling her into her bed, he changed quickly and slid underneath the covers beside her. Once settled with her in his arms again, he quickly nodded off to sleep.

The others quickly said there welcome backs and goodnights before Rowen and Sage helped Kayura and Anna get settled into bed in the guest room just down the hall from theirs. Silence quickly settled over the now enlarged 'family' living within the Koji household and sleep was quickly found.


	6. Bailamos Mi Amor

Sorry it's been so long and this chapter is so short. I've had school to work through, changing jobs, and many other things on my plate. I, however, am almost done with my associate's degree so I hope to have more time to work on writing and hopefully updates will come quicker. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5: Bailamos, Mi Amor

Weeks passed along as the enlarged family began settling into their own routines all around the area. Anubis and Sirene had gotten the ranch up and fully running. They had decided to try starting a business of breeding horses. They already had a few good mares and stallions to start with and Anubis had picked up the necessary knowledge throughout the many years he had been alive, before and during Talpa's reign of the Nether Realm.

Kaley and Dais returned to the animal shelter that Kaley had left behind in order to return to her husband. Dais found he enjoyed having animals around. Shortly after they settled into their home in the mortal realm, they brought home several pets. Kaley had a way with animals and they almost seemed to flock to her. Whenever she discovered a stray animal, it found its way into their home. They already had two puppies, Rocky and Max, and a kitten, Kai. Dais enjoyed watching his kitten with White Blaze. White Blaze wasn't quite sure how to handle another feline so much smaller than him self. He was afraid he would accidentally hurt little Kai. Unfortunately for White Blaze, Kai took an instant liking to him. Whenever the spunky little kitten was around the large tiger there was no separating them. Kai would follow wherever White Blaze tread. As he got older and a little more playful he wanted to wrestle with White Blaze. The matches always came to a quick finish though as White Blaze simply shoved his little shadow over with one paw.

Mia helped Leanna, Sekhmet, Sarah, and Cale start a little herbal shop a little ways out of the city. With the knowledge between the four of them, there was plenty of talent and ability to go around. They quickly acquired the necessary inventory to begin a small shop that would help support the two families. Being a small store, there was no need for outside employees. The four adults were quickly able to form a routine that would allow them to share responsibilities in the shop.

Everyone fell into routines as more time passed and before they knew it summer was coming to an end. Mia was preparing to begin another year of teaching mythology at the college and trying to work with Ryo to finalize the wedding. They had planned for a fall wedding and the time was quickly approaching. Soon enough, the whole household was looking forward to the beginning of the year ball. It would be a costume party to celebrate the new school semester at the college. Mia had quickly talked Angel into attending the ball. Kayura and Kaley thought it would be fun to go out for the evening. It didn't take much pleading for the four of them to get Sirene to agree to attend the event. She loved the idea of spending some time away with her husband alone. Not often did they get a chance to spend an evening away from the parental role. They loved their daughter dearly, but they were thrilled to spend some quality time alone or with other adults. Mia, Angel, and Kaley only mentioned the idea of the evening out to their significant others and the evening was planned. Once Anna and Sage heard the plans they were happy to join the party. They still had a lot of catching up to do and Sage had a lot to make up to Anna for the past. They agreed that the dance would be a good opportunity for them to start over and make amends in their relationship. With the quickly growing friendship between them, Kayura asked Rowen to attend the ball with her. The others decided they would make an evening get together of it and watch Nicole for the sorceress and her husband.

Of course each couple decided to throw their own theme on their decision of attire. Angel decided she would string pearls and seashells through out her hair and jewelry for a water theme. Anna and Kaley would use blue and purple make up across their faces and add glitter to their costume, hair, and face to appear as fairy princesses. Kayura decided to dress as the priestess she had become in the nether realm. Mia made the decision to coordinate with Sirene as a sorceress. Once the decision was made they all went shopping and got everything ready for the ball.

On the evening of the dance, The girls gathered at Mia's while the guys gathered at Anubis and Sirene's house. Because most of them were attending the event, they decided to rent two limos for the evening. Mia, Ryo, Sirene, Anubis, Kaley, and Dais would ride together in one. Kayura, Rowen, Anna, Sage, Angel, and Cye would ride together in the other. They quickly separated into each car and headed on their way towards the campus. Each couple was looking forward to the evening with each other. It would be one night where they could let go of everything and just enjoy each others company. Dais and Anubis felt like teenagers again at the thought of spending some time alone with their wives. It had been too long since they had enjoyed an option like this. Cye felt that Angel looked like a lost mermaid princess. Her hair was pulled back in spiral curls with a strand of pearl-like beads strung intricately through her locks. He was star struck all over again. He had made a decision after thinking through out the week. As soon as he saw her, he knew he had made the right decision.

Rowen found himself feeling very nervous. He had been looking forward to spending the evening with Kayura. Their friendship had become very strong over the last few weeks. He wasn't sure what the evening would hold for them but he was looking forward to it. They had come to enjoy each other's company immensely. Even Sage was eager to see what this night held in store for his best friend.

When they arrived at the dance hall, they found the ball in full swing. They swiftly found a table to set their coats down at before they began to mingle with other campus students and staff for the evening. Dais and Anubis immediately hit the dance floor with Kaley and Sirene when a slow song began. Rowen found a few of his friends to introduce Kayura to. They received many jokes and jibes when everyone was told they were just good friends. Some of the guys even tried to move in on Kayura after they received that bit of news.

Mia was quick to introduce Ryo to her friends on the campus staff. They congratulated them and wished them well. Mia had passed along many stories about all of the guys to her colleagues but had not had the opportunity to introduce anyone until now. Ryo received many hugs from the people he had only heard about. Almost everyone he was introduced to told him how happy they were that he stayed by Mia after everything with her grandfather. They were happy that she had someone to help her through the loss and help her to be happy again. Of Course there were also the few that asked why he and Mia hadn't gotten together and made the decision to get married sooner.

Several hours passed before the group found themselves back at the table with refreshments. Mia was happier than ever over the fact that even Sirene and Kaley were having fun. The entire group was soon telling jokes and laughing the night away.

"So, Sirene, you guys really are having fun tonight? You're not just saying that?" Mia questioned from across the table.

Sirene grinned back towards her as she leaned further into Anubis' side. "Oh Mia, this has been a wonderful evening. I'm so happy we came." Sirene kept smiling as she continued to cuddle with Anubis. Anubis almost seemed to be smiling as much as Sirene.

Anna smiled as she watched the group interact. Never had she ever thought that Sage would willingly place himself in the middle of such a group of friends. She continued smiling as she wrapped herself around Sage's arm. "So has anyone heard what the surprise for the end of the evening is? I heard they were going to do something special at midnight but no one has said exactly what it is."

Mia quirked an eyebrow at her Comment. "Actually, now that you mention it, I don't think anybody on the staff really knows what the surprise is. It must have been kept a secret among the senior staff. I wonder what it could possibly be."

"Well, we only have an hour or so to wait. I guess we'll find out then." Angel said as she glanced at the clock up on the wall.

After a few more minutes of chatting, the group once again found themselves out on the dance floor. Just fifteen minutes before midnight, the DJ asked for the crowd to move out onto the back lawn. The couples quickly found each other and claimed a large space on the front lawn. The girls eased themselves down to sit in the well kept grass, waiting to see what the surprise would be. After several minutes, several small explosions showered flashes of bright light across the dark sky. Everyone scooted closer to their dates as they continued to watch the fireworks display.

Cye and Angel felt like they were in their own little world as they viewed the display. Nothing could come between them and nothing could go wrong. "Tonight is just so perfect Cye." Angel stated from her place at his side.

"I agree with you Angel. I can only think of one other thing I could want tonight."

Angel turned to look up at Cye but he kept his eyes to the sky, watching as the fireworks continued. "What is it Cye? You look so serious. Please tell me what you're thinking. I can't feel it from you. I haven't been able to read you as easily as usual for the last few weeks. Please, tell me what's on your mind."

"Marry me." He whispered simply.

Angel looked around to see if anyone else had heard. She began wondering if she had heard him wrong when she saw everyone focused on the sky. But then it was like everyone was in their own little world tonight. Finally, she turned back to Cye. "What did you say?"

Cye looked back at Angel with true sincerity. "Marry me. After Ryo and Mia have their wedding, I want to start planning ours. If it's possible that we may have to fight again, I don't want to wait to get married. If we keep waiting until the right point in life to come, we may run out of time. As much as I hate saying it, we may have to fight again. I don't want to risk loosing something like what we share Angel. Let's get married in the spring. Let's follow Ryo and Mia's example. Our happiness is too precious to pass up. My happiness is with you. After thinking things through, I don't think there is any other choice for me. My happiness is with you and I want us to be happy. So grant me the one last wish I could possibly hope for. Angel, please, will you marry me?"

Angel stared at Cye for several minutes before closed her eyes and leaned up to kiss him firmly. When they separated, they were both gasping for breath. With her eyes still closed Angel answered his desperate question. "Yes. For all the happiness in the world and the rest of my life, yes. There was never any doubt Cye. You never had to ask. The answer was always yes." Angel smiled again as she opened her eyes for a brief moment.

Cye smiled as well as he quickly closed his eyes and once again kissed her gently.

Sirene smiled as she watched the romantic display between Cye and Angel. She thought it would be fun to use just a little magic tonight. Especially if no one noticed what she was doing. After all, the evening had become a very special occasion.

Anubis tightened his hold around her waist as some of the fireworks began exploding into shapes and symbols. "I see you still like to put on a light show yourself, don't you love?" Sirene's smiled even wider as she looked up at him.

Sirene made a swift gesture towards Cye and Angel. "They have called for a special occasion. My tricks do me no good if I don't keep up with the practice. If I am to teach our daughter the same tricks and help her grow, I must be able to still use the magic myself for at least a little while. It does no good if I let my skills go to waste."

Anubis frowned as he tightened his hold on his wife. "I take it then that you have felt the power within her?"

Sirene merely nodded in response.

"Do you know whether you feel the stirrings of magic or a developing connection with the armor?"

"I don't know Anubis. It's likely she could inherit one or the other or even both of our heavy burdens. This is a trial we can only take from day to day. We will deal with each obstacle as it approaches. If she inherits your armor, then she is destined for it. There is nothing we can do about it but teach her the responsibilities of her gifts. I know the armors feel like a burden to all of you, but they are a gift that must be used to the best of your ability. So much good can and must be done with those. If she can use the gift of magic, it can only help her if she learns to use it properly. My magic saved me many times, I believe it can do the same for her. The hardest trial will be helping her through the down sides of this inheritance. It will not be all good."

Anubis kept his arms around Sirene as they both looked up to the sky and began thinking of what the future would bring for their family and friends.


	7. The Good, The Bad, The Baby?

"Just Another Sad Love Story"

By Daybird

Chapter Six

Things were getting pretty tense at Mia's house. They had of course planned for Ryo and Mia to continue living there. Everyone else decided that they would work on moving out as soon as they could afford to. Mia thought that would be a little further down the road though. She planned on having at least the guys there for a long time yet.

The days went by quickly and it was now the day of Ryo and Mia's wedding. It would be a private wedding with only the people that knew of the armor, and it would be held in Mia's backyard. Sarah had used her powers over plants to grow the flowers to decorate the yard. Kento and Cye put together some other decorations and props.

Upstairs, Mia and the other ladies were trying to get Mia dressed and ready for the wedding. Ryo had slept in his old room and Angel slept in the room with Mia so that they could follow tradition and Ryo wouldn't see Mia before the wedding. They had done a pretty good job of it so far, but Ryo was starting to whine again and was impatient to see Mia.

"Ryo, I said you'll see her in just a couple hours, you can't possibly be that impatient."

"Wanna make a bet?"

"Ryo, if you don't leave and start getting ready, I swear I'm gonna make you, and you know I can get inside that thick skull of yours to do it." Anna was starting to get annoyed with Ryo. "Geez, how did you ever beat Talpa if you guys are almost all impatient like this? What did you do? Charge in and hope for the best?"

"That's pretty much it," said Rowen as he walked by.

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope. After the other three were taken, we pretty much went in fighting and charged for the castle. Got our butts kicked a few times and came close to losing it all too. I thought Ryo had learned his lesson from that."

"Well, apparently he hasn't."

"Come on, Ryo, we need to get everything set up and get dressed anyway. You only got two hours to wait; she needs to get ready too, come on." Rowen grabbed Ryo's arm and dragged him downstairs and out the door.

"Is he gone yet?" whispered Mia's soft voice from her personal bathroom.

"Yeah, Rowen pulled him off, he'll stay away now, Rowen's gonna keep him busy," replied Kayura.

They were all in Mia's room waiting for Angel to finish doing Mia's hair so they could all help her get ready. When she was done, Mia came out into her room and glanced out the window. She let out a soft laugh. "The decorations look beautiful. It should keep Ryo busy for the next half hour or so, and then he'll have to get dressed. I think we're safe." Mia then grabbed all the things she needed to get dressed and went back into the bathroom.

About half an hour later, she came back out missing only her make-up and shoes. "Mia, you look really pretty." Anubis had sent Nichole up to help out her mom.

"Why, thank you, Nichole, you look pretty too," Mia smiled as she picked up the little girl. Being the only little girl around, and considering Nichole really wanted to be in the wedding, Mia had told her she could be the flower girl.

By the time they were all done getting dressed and doing their make-up, it was about time to go downstairs and start the wedding. Kayura and Anna went downstairs first to make sure everybody was ready to start. They ran into Anubis trying to drag Ryo back down the aisle. "Guys, this is it. Ryo, you guys gotta get down there, Mia's about to come down. Rowen, will you make sure he stays up there this time?"

"Sure, no prob. Go ahead and tell Mia we're ready to get started." Kayura went back to where the makeshift isle ended and the girls would be at. Anna went upstairs to get everyone else.

When everyone was where they were supposed to be, the wedding started. All the guys saw their girlfriends and were amazed at how pretty they looked in their dresses. Next was Mia. When they all turned around and caught a glimpse of Mia walking down the isle, Ryo's eyes lit up. This is it, after this, the woman I love becomes my wife, finally. This day is so perfect, nothing can go wrong.

Mia wore a big smile the whole time. She was happier now than she had ever been. I can't believe this. I'm finally going to marry him. I didn't think this day would ever get here. Today is so perfect; I don't think anything could go wrong. It was almost as if they were reading each other's minds when they smiled at each other.

When Mia stood next to Ryo, everyone sat down, and the wedding continued. "You look more beautiful than the first day we met," Ryo whispered in her ear. She just smiled back.

The wedding seemed to go off with out a hitch. They said there vows, gave their 'I do's, and did the whole "you may kiss the bride" thing. As they got ready to walk up the isle, the skies grew dark and the birds scattered.

"No, not now," Mia whispered.

It's the Dynasty, Ryo, I can feel it. I don't know why they're coming out now, but it's them. Don't worry, they won't get away with this, Sage thought to Ryo.

Just then, a Dynasty gate appeared on the edge of the forest and the doors opened mysteriously. Instantly, everyone was suited up in their sub armor and Kayura drew her Starlight swords.

"I see little Wildfire has gained a wife and neglected to invite me to the wedding. Starting a family already? You would think there are enough friends to lose without bringing more family into it Wildfire. I'm sure he'll make an excellent addition to my army in the future."

"I don't know how you're still alive, or what you're talking about, but you will pay for interrupting our wedding, Talpa. You will never take this world as long as the people I love are in it," shouted Ryo with a very threatening voice.

"Ha ha ha. Maybe you don't know as much as you should, Ryo of the Wildfire. And just maybe I will have to take out those people then. All the more helpful in taking my revenge."

As the Dynasty gate closed, Ryo turned around and went to pull Mia even closer to him for a reassuring embrace when he noticed that her face had gone ghost white. "What's the matter, Mia? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, Ryo."

"Mia, that's bull and you know it. What's the matter?"

"How could he know? I don't even know for sure yet." By that time everyone had crowded around her to make sure the newly wed friends were okay. "Oh, Ryo, he's supposed to be gone, why doesn't he just leave us alone? Why can't he just go away?" questioned Mia, now with tears falling freely. With that, she ran off towards the lake to get away from everyone and think.

"Mia!" yelled Anna, getting ready to go after her. Sage held her back. "Sage, let me go, somebody's gotta go get her, this shouldn't have happened at her wedding."

"I know, love, but we need to figure out who this guy was that Talpa was talking about. Apparently, Ryo has more family than he knew. Don't worry about Mia, see? Ryo's already gone. He's probably comforting her right now. I think they need to be alone right now anyway. It was both their weddings after all." Sage smiled at her as she walked with him hand in hand inside.

Meanwhile, down by the lake, Ryo had finally caught up to Mia. He smiled at how she had been able to get there down the path without tearing up her dress or anything and she now held her veil in her hands looking down at it as she stood by the lake. No matter what she does, she still manages to look perfect. Wouldn't be surprised if she was some how related to Sage. He laughed at the thought.

He snuck up behind Mia and hugged her tightly. "Its okay, Mia, Talpa won't get away with this. We'll kick his butt just like we did before. There's nothing to worry about." He let her go and turned her around to face him and lifted her chin tenderly to look at him. "Mia, I love you more than world. We're married now; we can face anything, together. Kay?"

Mia pulled away and avoided his eyes. "I know Ryo, it's just...how did he know?"

"Know what?"

"He said that there was someone that would make a good addition to his army in the future. Could the armors be passed down through generations?"

"Mia, what are you talking about?" Just as she looked back at him and he looked into her eyes, he knew what she meant. "Mia, you're not!"

"I don't know Ryo, I think so. The doctor was supposed to call tonight with the results." She looked down, as if she thought Ryo was disappointed.

"I might be a father?" he asked. Mia just nodded. She didn't want to look up and see him upset. She didn't want to see that he didn't want the child. But if she had, she would have seen him smile. "Mia..."

"Ryo, I understand if you don't want the child."

"Mia, how could you think that?" She looked up, shocked. "Mia, this is great. I'm going to be a father." He picked her up and swung her around.

"Ryo, I don't know yet, the doctor is still supposed to call later."

"Well, then I guess we better go back just in case he calls. You okay?"

She smiled as he wiped the tears away from her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's head back."

As they headed back, Ryo never let Mia know that he had felt someone watching them. He didn't know who it was, and it didn't feel familiar, but it was definitely evil. He just wanted to get his new bride back to the house though, before something happened. After they left, part of the shadows separated and formed a figure.

Eclipse, report back what you have found. I wish to know what Wildfire and his bride know.

"Yes, Master Talpa, as you command." Just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman known in the Nether Realm as Eclipse faded back into the shadows and disappeared.

"Hey Sage, can you grab the phone?" asked Cye as he glanced out the door, curious about his feeling of evil.

"Hello, Koji/Sanada residence," said Sage with a smile as he answered the phone.

"Hello, is Miss Koji there?"

"Not at the moment, she's still outside at the moment, her wedding just finished," said Sage, not wanting to explain about Talpa's appearance at the wedding.

"Well, this is her doctor. I just wanted to let her know that her test results came out positive."

Sage just stood there in shock for a moment before he answered. "I'll let her know, Doctor."

"Thank you."

Sage hung up the phone just as Cye came into the room. "What's the matter Sage? Who was that? Don't tell me something else could ruin today."

"Cye that was Mia's doctor."

Anna and Angel came into the room from outside as he answered Cye. "What? Mia's doctor? Why'd he call? What's going on?" Angel asked.

"He said the results came back positive from Mia's test. He didn't say for what, just said they came back positive. Have you guys picked up anything?"

"No, you know we never purposely pry into people's minds. We may be psychic but it's not right to probe people's minds, and Mia never gave any sign that something was wrong. I think we should just talk to her about it."

Just then, Ryo and Mia came in from the lake laughing and smiling. Ryo still had his arms around her stomach. When they saw the two couples gathered in the living room, they stopped. "Hey, what's going on guys?" Ryo asked when he saw their friends.

"Um, Mia, your doctor just called."

"Really, what did he say?" jumped Mia.

"He said the results from your tests came back positive," said Sage, confused. Mia turned around to give Ryo a hug and he picked her up and swung her around again.

"Mia, what's going on?" asked Angel, worried.

"I'm surprised you guys didn't do some psychic probe or something. Thank you for respecting my privacy, I know you are true friends."

"Mia, we would never sneak around like that and invade your privacy, but..."

"What's going on?" asked Anna and Sage.

Mia looked at Ryo again, and he nodded his head, telling her to go ahead and tell them. "Wait, get everybody together, I want to tell everybody at once."

Angel quickly ran through the house pulling everyone together in the back yard. When everyone was gathered, Warlords and company included, even Nichole, Mia and Ryo stood in front of everybody.

"Mia, what's so important?" asked Anubis.

"Yeah, what's going on?" asked Dais. Amazingly, Sarah and Sirene just smiled. They somehow knew what was going on.

Sirene couldn't stand it anymore. "Mia's pregnant," she blurted. Everyone turned to her, shocked. "What? Ask her. She is."

"Is that true, Mia?" asked Anubis.

Mia just shrugged. "Me and Ryo are gonna have a baby," she said. All the girls ran up and hugged Mia and fussed over her about how great that was. The guys congratulated Ryo. When everyone settled down, Ryo placed his arms once again around Mia's stomach and they turned around to Sirene.

"Sirene, how did you know? We just found out for sure just a few minutes ago," said Ryo.

"Oh come on, you guys never notice the small things. Mia, you knew deep down inside, didn't you? Believe me, especially when you're a mother yourself, you can just see it. A woman can feel it when she's going to become a mother. If you know what to look for, you can see a slight change in the eyes. You can just pick out a whole new feeling of peacefulness in them," Sirene answered.

"You're right, I guess I always knew, I just had to be sure, but you're right, I could definitely feel something else," Mia said.

"Well, I hate to end such a happy moment, guys, but, I have a feeling that your child, Mia, is the guy that Talpa was talking about adding to his army in the future," said Sage.

Ryo tightened his hold on Mia and she curled up against him. "Sage, you don't know that," said Anna.

"Anna, we have to look at it. Talpa was planning on adding some guy from Ryo's family, and now Ryo is going to be a father. For all we know, he could have a son and Talpa could be planning on corrupting him when he is born and grows some. We have no idea, and actually, to me that does sound like something Talpa would do."

"But Sage, with Ryo and Mia as the parents, and all of us as guardians, there is no way he could get to that child. He'd have to kill all of us to get to him," promised Anna.

Kayura joined the conversation. "Guys, I don't think Talpa was entirely serious in what he said. I've been thinking about it. He was definitely serious about Ryo starting a family, and he definitely knew Mia was pregnant, but I don't think he was serious about trying to corrupt the child."

"Why do you say that, Kayura?" asked Rowen, right behind her.

"Well, Rowen, think about it. He has already had all five of us turn against him. He tried corrupting me after I had developed my powers as one of the Ancients, and the Warlords after they had their armor. There is a high risk for him that Ryo's son will inherit the armor. When he comes of age, Ryo should be able to pass the armor down to him. After all, Ryo is a descendant of Hariel and this is part of what enables Ryo to wear both Wildfire and Inferno. Why should he risk having the chance of Ryo being able to hand down the armor? He knows he cannot just attack Ryo. Right now he would surely lose again, and there is also the chance that once Ryo dies the armor will immediately seek out his next descendant, which would now be his child. Talpa would never have a chance to claim the armor. The armor is what he wants, which means to Talpa, the child must not be given the chance to receive the armor."

Mia gasped as she realized what Kayura was saying. "He wants to kill my baby before he has a chance to inherit the Wildfire armor, so that he can kill Ryo and take it."

Everyone else who hadn't caught on gasped. Ryo kept his reassuring arms around his wife. "Don't worry, Mia, I won't let him touch you or the baby. I've lost my family once, I'm not gonna lose it again."

Mia just looked down and held her stomach. What should I do? I can't let anything happen to them. Oh, my son. I hope you grow up to be as strong-willed as your father. Talpa could never corrupt you. And I and Ryo will never let him touch you. My life would be nothing without the both of you here.

Mia was brought back to reality as Ryo loosened his hold on her and she heard Kaley's soft voice. "Come on, guys, let's get inside. We'll make some coffee and some tea and discuss this inside. It looks like it's gonna rain, and Mia and Ryo haven't had a chance to change yet. Mia, you are not ruining that dress. Now, don't worry about this right now, and go change. We'll meet you guys in the living room. Everything is gonna be fine." Everybody headed toward the house and got inside just as it started raining.


	8. A Night of Love, Freindship, and Nightma...

Sorry it's been so long. I had problems with my internet connection and I haven't been able to connect for a couple of weeks now. As for the numbering of chapters. Once upon a time, I had an author's note as a separate chapter to update on the updates. When I later replaced the note with an actual chapter, fanfiction never adjusted, so now, it says I have one more chapter than I really do. Oh well, I'll try to fix it but I don't want to screw things up too much. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and hopefully I'll keep a stable connection again and the next will be out soon.

Chapter 7: A Night of Love, Friendship, and Nightmares

After everyone retreated inside to escape the rain, Ryo and Mia went to their room to change into something else more comfortable. "Mia?"

"Hmm? Oh, what is it, Ryo?"

"You've been distracted ever since Kayura brought up Talpa's plans. Are you okay? Is there something wrong with the baby that you can tell?" Ryo asked worriedly.

"No Ryo, as far as I can tell everything is just fine. It's just that, I don't know. There's nothing wrong with the baby, but yet there is something wrong. I don't know how to explain it." She sat down frustrated on the bed. She had changed into a pair of black shorts and a purple tank top. Ryo, who hadn't changed yet, sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and sighed.

"Mia, it'll be all right. Talpa will have to go through me and the others to get to our son, and he's gonna have one hard time getting through me to you, no matter what his plans are."

"That's just it Ryo, I don't want anything to happen to you, or anyone else for that matter. I have a loving husband now, and a son on the way, I don't want to lose any part of that. But I feel like there's something, like it's waiting in the shadows for the right moment. Like its waiting till you can't protect us anymore."

"Mia, it'll be all right, I swear. I would die before I let anything happen to either of you," he said as he placed his hand on her stomach.

"Ryo, don't say that," she said as she pulled away and looked at him.

"Mia, I'm sorry. It's just that I lost all of my family when I was little. I grew up in orphanages. Now, I'm married, and to someone that I love very much. I'm going to be a father. I want my son to get a chance at life, but not the one I had to live. I want my son to grow up knowing his mother is there and there is always someone who loves him right there."

"And I want him to grow up with his father right beside me."

"Mia, I promise, I'll be careful, okay?"

"Okay. Ryo?"

"What?"

"After this child is born, will you teach me more fighting? I want to be able to defend myself and hold my own in an attack."

"Mia, you don't have to, I'll be right there."

"Ryo, don't make promises you can't keep. You can't guarantee that you will always be there. I don't want to rely on you all the time for my protection and the protection of our child. I want to know how to defend myself."

"Okay, when the doctor gives you the okay to go back to normal, I'll teach you."

"Thank you, my wildfire."

"Okay, before they come back, we gotta talk about something. What is going to happen with their son and Ryo's armor?" asked Angel.

"Well, as far as Cale and I know, the armors will be passed down through the generations. It might not even show itself in some descendants. It will awaken when the need arises. I do believe that when the time arises and they are needed, then Nichole and Cassandra will inherit our armors. They must be able to accept their destinies first. Since the rest of the Ronins still have no descendants, they still wear their armors. I do believe that Ryo still wears his because his child is not yet born and he will continue to wear it until the child is old enough to accept his destiny," answered Anubis.

"Well, then we'll just have to make sure that my son receives training and learns his destiny as well as how to use the armor should the need arise," said Ryo as he came down the steps. Mia was right behind him. Ryo was now in a pair of jeans and a jersey.

"Ryo, this could be serious. What if he can't handle it and Talpa does decide to corrupt him?" asked Kento.

"Kento, I really don't want to think about that right now. I don't believe that Talpa will be able to. If our son is anything like me and Mia, Talpa doesn't stand a chance. Kento, I have a really strong feeling about this. Please just listen to me."

Kento agreed. He knew that Ryo and Mia would raise their son to be strong and that he would be able to fight the Dynasty off if he should have to.

"Guys, I know this is serious, but please, no one is stressed out more about this than me and Mia. We just got married and found out that we are going to have a baby, please, let's just sit back and relax tonight. I'm sure we could all use it just to let everything sink in. I don't want our wedding day to be ruined because Talpa decided to voice his two cents on the matter."

"Yeah guys, can we just chill out and have fun?" asked Mia.

The rest of the afternoon, they all sat around and ate the food that Kento's parents had prepared for the wedding. They had been more than happy to cook for Kento's friends.

That evening, they decided to stay in and watch movies. Since Mia's house was just a little small for everybody to hang out in, they all went to Anubis's house. His was a little bigger and more capable of holding the whole group.

Sage and Anna were sitting on the couch. She was leaning up against his chest while Rowen sat on the other side of her with Kayura curled up beside him. Kento lay down in front of the TV. Josephine, one of Mia's friends that she had invited to join them, sat beside him.

Cale was lying in front of the couch with Sarah in front of him. Kaley and Dais were on the loveseat cuddled together in their own little world. Cye sat on the floor in front of them with Angel curled up against him. Anubis and Sekhmet shared another couch with Sirene and Leanna while Ryo sat in another chair and had pulled Mia down into his lap.

Ryo and Mia hadn't even been paying attention to the movie. They were having their own little conversation about names for the baby. Thanks to Talpa's interruption earlier, they were pretty much expecting a boy now. No one really paid attention to them, everyone was either watching the movie or off in their own little world, so they didn't hear them whispering back and forth.

Cye and Angel on the other hand, were sending each other psychic messages back and forth. Angel had learned to control her psychic powers and had developed a link with Cye. They tended to be able to have more private conversations that way. Otherwise, everybody would know everything that happened between them. It was also one of the few ways she could get Cye to express his feelings.

"You really envy them, don't you Angel?"

"Yeah, I do. They look so happy. Sirene was right about Mia. There's something more in her eyes. Like she's in blissful happiness."

"We'll get there Angel. It's just going to take some time."

Angel smiled up at Cye and nodded toward the door. Cye quietly got up and followed her out the door. "What's wrong love?"

Angel just smiled as they sat down on the porch swing gently rocked back and forth. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong. I envy them for what they have, but I'm happy knowing that we'll get there some day."

"If getting married is what had you on end all this time love, we should have made plans earlier. There was never any doubt for me. I knew I wanted to marry you. I just didn't want to rush you too quickly. I wanted to make sure both of us were ready for that step before we made it. I don't want mistakes in timing to come between us."

"Oh Cye, I didn't mean to make you nervous or doubtful. I didn't think I wanted it so badly until I found out that Ryo and Mia were getting married. I guess it's just one of those things that you don't realize you want it until someone else has it."

Cye smiled as he pulled her into his arms and they gently swayed in the evening breeze. "I'm glad we solved this little bump before it did become a problem. I hope the rest of our little bumps and rough spots go this well."

Angel simply smiled as she watched the stars.

"Would you like to go back in now and finish watching the movie?" he asked.

"Let's just sit out here just a little while longer. I like to watch the sun set, and it's so pretty tonight."

"Okay, we'll just stay a little while longer." Cye looked down at his girlfriend and smiled. Did she really want to get married and not know it? If that was what she was missing in her life, he would gladly marry her. Angel felt his staring at her and looked into his eyes. They both closed their eyes as he leaned down and kissed her in the moonlight.

Half an hour later, Angel and Cye snuck back in and took their spots in front of the couch again, hopefully unnoticed. It almost worked; the only ones that noticed that they had disappeared were Ryo and Mia. It had long ago gotten dark outside as the sun had set and the room was almost completely dark except for the light from the TV.

Josephine and Kento had dozed off just a little while ago. Josephine had not noticed that she was curled up against Kento, nor did he notice that he had wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to him.

Ryo and Mia smiled as they looked around the room. Mia started giggling. "What's so funny?" asked Ryo.

"Oh, nothing. Just look at how everyone is moving on with life. A couple of months ago, who would have ever thought that we would be married and the rest of the guys would have girlfriends. Let alone who knew that Anubis and Cale would have kids and that I would be pregnant."

"I guess that is something to giggle about. I think it's all falling together," said Ryo.

Mia snuggled up against him again. He smiled as he smelled her perfume. It was the fragrance he had gotten her. He breathed in the intoxicating smell as he nuzzled her neck. He used the arm he had around her waist to pull her closer to him as he used the other to move her hair off her shoulders and kissed her neck.

Mia giggled as she leaned her head away from him to let her hair fall out of the way. She turned around to look at him. "Well, now what has gotten into you?"

"What, I can't kiss my wife?"

"Ryo Sanada, don't think I don't know you. I know that little innocent act." She smiled again as she kissed him.

He smiled back at her. "Well, what can I say; it has been one long day."

Everyone ended up spending the night at Anubis's house that night. Before they had known it, almost everyone was asleep. The only ones left awake were Anubis, Sirene, Ryo, and Cale. Cale had put Cassandra to bed in the same room that Nichole was sleeping in. They figured it would have been better to let the couples who had fallen asleep in the living room to sleep there for the night.

Anubis and Sirene brought down blankets to throw over everybody. When that was done, they showed Ryo and Cale to rooms where they could sleep as they carried Mia and Sarah to their separate rooms. Everybody slept peacefully that night, except Sage and Mia.

Sage was walking through the hallways of what used to be Kayura's temple. There was something different about it, though. As he turned the corner, he noticed that the roof had collapsed and covered the floor, as if someone had attacked the temple. The other people that he had just seen a month ago on his visit lay lifeless around the room.

"What happened here? What could have done this damage?" Sage suddenly had an unshakable feeling of fear that made him shiver. He ran down the hallway without even knowing where he was going.

He came to the courtyard of the temple. There he saw Anubis and the other former warlords scattered around, lying just as lifeless as everyone else in the castle. He looked around trying to hopefully recognize some of the other people. He saw a young woman; probably around the age he and the other guys were when they first received their armors, which had a strong resemblance to Anubis's daughter Nichole. In fact, if he hadn't known any better, he would have said that it was Nichole, only older.

He went over to see if she was still alive. When he got there, she started to move. She slowly regained consciousness. "Y... you have... to s... save R... Rekino. He's... in... big... tro... trouble," she managed to say.

Sage was confused. "Wait, don't move. let me heal you."

"No, don't... waste... your power... on... on me. I know... I... I'm dying. Talpa... has stolen... my... my father's armor... from me. With... without it... I will die... just like he... killed... my... my father."

"Who's your father? Why did Talpa kill him?"

"You...don't remember... Anubis? You must... save Rekino... or he will... suffer... the same... fate... as his father."

"Who's Rekino? Why is he in trouble? Who's his father?"

She managed to summon enough strength to speak straight to explain to him. "Rekino wears the Wildfire armor. T... Talpa wishes to kill him and... take his armor."

"But, if he wears Wildfire, then he's Ryo's son, and he hasn't been born yet, and if Anubis is your father, than you are Nichole, but you are only a child."

"Talpa will wait. He has grown... patient. Beware him... in... the future. Do... do not... underestimate him... he will wait... till you... don't... expect it... and then strike your... children. Beware... him in the future." With that, she lost consciousness in his arms and breathed her last breath.

Sage lay her back down and began to try to find his friends. As he turned around he ran into a familiar face. "T... Talpa. What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Sage of the Halo. I told you I would have my revenge." Sage just stood in shock and fear as Talpa tossed down a child, around the age of the girl that had just died in his arms, only this boy had a striking resemblance to Ryo. He couldn't do anything but stand there in horror as he realized the boy was dead.

As Sage snapped awake he felt someone that was laying against him wake up. "Sage, honey, what's wrong?" It was Anna. She had woken when she felt Sage jump awake.

"It, it was a nightmare."

"Sage, are you okay? You're sweating and your heart is racing." She was now worried. She had never seen Sage wake up like this before.

"I…I dreamed I was back at Kayura's temple, only it was destroyed. I was walking around and everybody was dead. It, it was like a bloodbath. I just started running, and I had no idea where I was going, but I came out to the courtyard. When I got there, I saw, Anubis and, and the other warlords. Anna, they were all dead."

Sage now had tears running down his face. Anna wrapped her arms around him and made him lay back down. "Shh, it's okay Sage. It was just a nightmare. You're awake now. It's gonna be okay."

"No, Anna, it wasn't just a nightmare. I found a girl there, and she said to beware of Talpa in the future. She claimed that Anubis was her father and that Talpa had stolen his armor from her."

"That would mean that it was Nichole, she is the next wearer of the Armor of Loyalty."

"Yeah, I know, but she told me that Talpa would come after our kids in the future, and then she died too. When I turned around, Talpa was there. He said that he would have his revenge, and then threw down another kid, couldn't have been any older than the girl. He looked a lot like Ryo, but it wasn't Ryo, and he was dead too. My god, Anna, they couldn't have been much older than we were when we received our armor. They were only children."

"Shh, it'll be all right, baby. It'll be all right. We'll talk to the others about it tomorrow. Talpa won't get a chance to get his revenge."

"But, Anna, if my vision was true, there won't be anything we can do. He's gonna go after them while they are still young and defenseless. They'll be barely able to use their armor. And if it was a warning, we won't be around to help protect them in the future."

"Don't worry about it, Sage. We'll figure it all out in the morning."

Sage just lay there as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was slicked back now with sweat from his nightmare. Just when he started to settle down, they heard a scream from upstairs. Everyone snapped awake.

"That was Mia," said Anna as her and Sage were the first to hit the stairs.

By the time Sage and Anna made it to the room where Mia and Ryo were sleeping, Anubis and Cale were already there. Sirene and Sarah had gone downstairs to get something to calm Mia down. Ryo was cradling her in his arms and trying to do the same thing. Mia was just holding her stomach and crying into Ryo's shoulder. "Shh, calm down Mia. What's the matter? Are you okay? Is something wrong with the baby?" Mia just kept crying. "Its okay, Mia. You just had a nightmare, its okay. I'm here with you now. You're safe. It's gonna be okay."

Mia finally started to calm down and looked up into his eyes, but she never let go of her stomach. "Oh Ryo, he's gonna come back. He's not going to let us live in peace. Not ever. He's gonna come after our children." She looked down at her stomach, as if she was looking at her unborn child. "He's gonna come after us when they have the armor and then go after them before they can use it against him."

Sage was right there at her side now. "Mia, what was your nightmare about? Were you at Kayura's temple?"

Mia looked at him, shocked and nodded. "I was there, and all I saw was death and destruction. I, I saw Nichole, dying, and she warned me about Talpa, then she died. When I turned around, Talpa was there." She turned to look at Ryo with terror in her eyes. "Ryo he had our son, he was dead. Talpa killed him and once he had the armor, he just tossed him away like he was a rag doll." Mia curled up against Ryo and started crying again.

Ryo held her close, trying to make her feel safe. "Shh, its okay, Mia. Things are probably just catching up to you from earlier. Don't worry; we'll take care of Talpa. You're probably just still spooked at how he showed for the wedding."

Sage gave Ryo a look that told him he was wrong. Mia snapped out of his arms and started screaming. "No Ryo, I'm not still spooked. I'm terrified, Ryo. This seemed too real to be just a nightmare. Someone or something is trying to warn us. For now Ryo, everything is not going to be okay. It'll never be okay. Not for us."

Mia threw herself back into his arms as he tried to comfort her. Her body was trembling in fear as her tears ran freely down her face. Ryo just held her and rubbed her back to try to calm her down. Eventually, Mia cried herself back to sleep, clinging to Ryo. Everyone had gone to some room or another to try to go back to bed and leave the newlyweds to some privacy.

Sage wanted Ryo to go outside with him so they could talk about the situation, but he saw that with how terrified Mia had been, that it was impossible now. Even if they could get Ryo out without waking Mia up, Ryo wouldn't leave her.

"Ryo, we gotta talk about this."

"I know, Sage. I don't know what to do. She's never had these nightmares before. She's never been this scared."

"She's now involved in this neck deep, Ryo. Now that she's having your child, Talpa's gonna want her more than anything. He's gonna see it as another way to get to you, through the both of them."

Ryo sat there running his fingers through Mia's hair, brushing it away from her face. Sage looked up and was almost shocked at what he saw. Ryo had tears running down his cheek. "Sage, what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know, Ryo. We gotta keep a watch out, though. I think we can expect Talpa to make a move for Mia."

"Sage, how did you know what she was dreaming?"

"I kind of just woke up from the same nightmare. I saw Nichole and the Warlords. Ryo, they were all dead, and she died in my arms. Talpa took away the armor and it killed her. Then I saw him toss away your son after he stole his armor. Ryo, it scared me, they were still children. They couldn't have been any older than when we first got the armors. I can only imagine how scared Mia was. She's never had visions like this. I'm really curious to know why she's having them now."

"Sage, we're gonna have to get everyone together for this tomorrow. Something makes me think this battle is far from over and we aren't going to be the ones to finish it." Ryo looked down at Mia and placed a hand over hers on her stomach.

Sage got up to leave Ryo alone with his wife. "Sage." He turned around to see fear in Ryo's eyes.

"Yeah, Ryo?"

"I can't let him touch either of them. I love her too much to let anything happen to her now."

"I know, Ryo, I know."

"Why can't he just go away and let us have a peaceful life? That's all me and Mia wanted. I almost lost her so many times last time. I don't know what would happen if I lost her now that we are finally together."

Sage gave Ryo his most convincing smile. "Don't worry Ryo, we have reason to believe she'll be the focus of his attacks, but I'm sure I speak for the rest of us when I say that just like we would for each other, we'd die before we let Talpa hurt her in any way. And I can see that you would do the same before letting him even lay a finger on her."

"Thanks, Sage. I'm glad we have friends like you guys."

"She's the lucky one Ryo, she's lucky to have found someone that loves her so much."

"Then why do I feel like I'm the reason she is in all this mess? She would be luckier to have found someone else. Then she wouldn't have the problems with Talpa and his goons."

"Don't tell yourself that, Ryo. How do you know that he wouldn't have targeted her for some other reason? Just think of what would've happened if we didn't have her in the beginning. She helped us out in the beginning more than she could ever know."

"Yeah, but that still doesn't make me feel any better. She would've been happier with someone else that wouldn't have put her in this situation."

"If you believe that, Ryo, then why did you marry her? Think about it, if she hadn't married you, or even met you, imagine her not having the happy times we've all spent together, or even the two of you spent together. Do you honestly think she would rather give up all that to lose this problem? Do you think she would be truly happy with someone else, Ryo?"

"I know she wouldn't, and god knows I love her to death, but at least then she would be safe."

"I wouldn't count on that Ryo. You know her better than any of us. You know that she would have gotten herself involved somehow. Don't try to tell me different. And as for her being safer with someone else, you know that's as wrong as you can get. You know no one else would be able to protect her like you can. If she's gonna be in danger, who better than a Ronin Warrior as her personal bodyguard?"

"I guess you're right. I just can't stand the thought of losing her."

"You're not gonna lose her, Ryo, or that kid of yours. We'll all make sure of that." Sage slowly turned around started to walk out again.

"Hey Sage?"

"Yeah, Ryo?"

"Thanks. For everything."

"No problem, Ryo, that's what we're all here for." Sage turned back around and walked out, closing the door behind him, and went downstairs to find Anna. One thought kept running through his head: Please don't let any of the girls get hurt in this battle. Please don't let this vision come true.

Sage found Anna downstairs, alone in one of the guestrooms. She turned to face him as he climbed into bed. "Is Mia okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Ryo isn't going to leave her alone for awhile. He's really protective of her after Talpa made his reappearance. If I didn't know any better. I'd almost think oh fearless one is terrified. He's worried about losing her and that stupid guilt thing of his is starting to show through again. He's gonna have to get over that."

"He's only worried about her. He's just looking for a way to figure things out. He needs to sort things out somehow, and for some reason, blaming himself for Mia being in danger, helps him get a start on figuring stuff out. They'll be okay. After all, what would you do if that was me in that spot?"

"You know I would do anything to protect you, and to tell the truth, we still don't know if you guys are safe yet. He is after all of the armors, and you are a way to get the Halo through me. One thing keeps bugging me, though."

"What's that?"

"Mia had the same nightmare that I had. She even saw Nichole die, and her son killed by Talpa. Someone is trying to warn us about something."

"Sage?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"I don't know what it is, but I'm actually scared about this now."

"Don't worry, Anna, I'll always protect you, you know that. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know, but I don't want to lose you either, Sage. What if he does come after us and our children?"

"Anna, don't worry, I won't let him get to anybody, but we're gonna have to keep a close eye on Mia and then the child when it's born. Talpa isn't gonna let them have a minute of peace."

"I know, but I'm still scared. I just wish I knew who sent you two that vision. Do you think it could have been someone from the future?"

"I don't know, if it was, I think we can be expecting a long battle ahead of us, and we gotta be ready." Anna curled up against Sage. "Don't worry, Anna, no one's gonna touch you. Nobody is gonna die either, especially our kids. Talpa didn't win last time, and he's not gonna win this time."

Anna looked up at him and smiled. He leaned over to kiss her. She curled up close to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her close. It wasn't too long before they both fell back to sleep.


	9. Dusk before Dawn

Update time again. Hope you guys like this chapter. I know it's short but I have plans for this story. I don't want to rush the plot to much and ruin the whole thing. I've rewritten things several times before I liked it enough to post. Please be patient while I try my best to develop the plot. I have quite a few characters to introduce but I don't want it to be one of those cheesy stories where they're all just thrown in there and everything works out.

Chapter 8 : Dusk before Dawn

Everyone slept peacefully for the rest of the night. Sage was one of the first people up the next morning, along with Kayura. Sage had gone out into the backyard to meditate. Kayura had picked a nice sunny spot by the window in the living room when she woke up. Both were looking for answers to questions they didn't know. All they knew was that they had to find out who was behind the visions, what Talpa was up to, and why Mia was all of a sudden having visions.

Ryo awoke early also, but he refused to go downstairs and leave Mia alone while she slept. He knew that after last night, she was vulnerable right now. He could feel it, like a bond between them. He decided to just lay there and hold her until she woke up.

Slowly, everyone started waking up and moving around. Nichole had gotten Cassandra and brought her downstairs to watch TV. When Anubis and Sirene came downstairs they stood in the doorway that led from the kitchen to the living room.

"I don't think Cale and Sarah are going to have a problem with finding a babysitter when they get older," said Sirene as she watched Nichole settle down on the floor with Cassandra in her lap.

"Dear, I don't think any one of us will need to worry about finding a babysitter in a few years. She has adopted the role of guardian and protector."

"She truly is a social child."

"She has a strong mind, and a good heart. She will need that in the future."

"Anubis, I'm worried about her. Why did Mia and Sage recognize specifically her and Ryo and Mia's son? Could she have something to do with those dreams?"

"I don't know. I hope not. But we do not yet know how her powers will manifest."

"Anubis, I have a weird feeling about her powers. They seem to be getting stronger all the time lately. I went to check on her last night after we left Mia and Ryo. Anubis, she wasn't in a normal sleep. It was like she was in a trance of some sort. I'm really worried and I think she knows something about what's going on."

"Love, I hope it's not connected. If that's true, and she has some ability to see into either the future or the past, it could be used against her by Talpa. But then again, it could be a factor to work in her favor. I think you should talk to her about her powers soon. She is now old enough to start to understand and practice what she is doing. The sooner she learns to control them and use them to her advantage, the better off she will be. She needs to be able to protect herself in some form in the days to come."

"I think so too, but, I'm just so worried from that dream Mia and Sage had. If that dream is a vision, then she will inherit your armor, and Talpa will come after all of us, and pick us off one by one."

"Don't worry about that yet, Sirene, we'll all talk about it later after breakfast. If Nichole has sent a warning from the future, it could be just that, a warning. She may simply have been warning us not to let our guard down. In any case, we'll figure out what's going on once everyone is awake and gathered. Now let's go see what our daughter is watching that has her so interested." They smiled and went to join Nichole and Cassandra in front of the TV.

Everyone eventually made their way back to the living room that morning, except for Josephine who had left earlier the previous night to go home. The only people left missing were Ryo, Mia, Rowen, and Sage. Everyone had settled down all over. Anna was starting to worry when Sage finally came back in. "I was wondering how much longer you were going to stay out there. You've never spent that long meditating. Did you find anything else out?" asked Anna as he sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist protectively.

Sage didn't answer her. He just laid his head on her shoulder and tightened his embrace. Anubis knew this wasn't going to be good. "Nichole, why don't you and Cassandra go and play in your room? Daddy and the others need to talk."

"Okay." Nichole picked up Cassandra and happily went upstairs with her. She knew that something was wrong and her dad didn't want her to hear it and become upset.

When she was gone, Anna turned back to Sage. "Sage, what's wrong? What did you see when you were meditating?"

Sage finally picked his head up, but not for long. He looked at everyone and leaned against her again, this time trying to bury his eyes in her shoulder. "It's all true, I saw the vision again. It was all the same. I saw the temple destroyed, everyone dead in the courtyard, and I tried to save Nichole but I was too late, she warned me about Talpa and then she died. I turned around and Talpa was there with Ryo's son. Then he killed him, just like last night. I tried to concentrate on it and everything went black. Then there was this bright flash.

"When it faded, I was in the middle of a grassy field. Nichole was standing there in Anubis's armor. But then the armor faded and she was wearing the Ancient's robes. She said that Talpa was going to try to force us to pass the armor before our children were ready, be rid of us, and then go after them before they have a chance to fully understand the armor so that he can take it from them. It was so real. It was like I had actually gone somewhere with her. She was trying to warn us. She faded and reappeared as the little girl she is now. She said that the 'seer knows all, find the seer' and disappeared."

Anubis noticed Sirene suddenly go pale and recognized the face as one she normally got when she saw something that she remembered from her past. "What's the matter, love? What did you see?"

"I remembered an old legend my father told me about the old sorcerers and sorceresses of our land. One legend speaks of the seer. Legend states that when the time comes and the world is in danger, the seer will arise. The destined one will be strong in magic and influenced by another destiny. The Seer will signal the time where the next age of saviors, or the coming of the end of the world."

"That sounds a lot like the legend about us without the whole seer part. But then again I guess we were just supposed to drive the evil back until the time was appropriate," said Cye.

"Now, we have to figure out what this seer has to do with Nichole," said Kento.

Sirene looked at Kento with a slightly defeated look. "Kento, Nichole is the seer."

"What?" Dais, Cale, and Kento yelled in unison.

At this point, Kayura decided to take over for Sirene. "I have heard the legends about the seer. It is said that they have the power to see into the past and the future, hence the title of Seer. The seer is supposed to be the best magic user ever known. Nichole already possesses great power, but does not know it. I can feel the strength of her power. It's untrained and she does not know she has it, but it is there nonetheless. If she could use that magic in the future and combine it with her visionary ability, it is possible that she could send her visions back in time to us as a warning. If she has sent this vision as a warning, then maybe we can begin changing the future now to avoid that fate."

"Kayura is right, I have felt her powers growing for the last month, it is time that she learns how to control them, seer or not. If she is the seer, we shall know as her powers develop. It would make sense for her to be the seer. Talpa is resurfacing and she was the first born of the new generation that we know of. If she has warned us from the future, then we need to start to change it in the past. If Talpa is going to force us to give the armor to our children before they are ready to accept it, then we need to teach them about it from the beginning and make them ready for it sooner."

Ryo's expression became very stern and determined. "How do we do that? Whatever we need to do, we will start doing now."

Sirene spoke up once again, just as determined of Ryo. "We don't keep the secret. We tell the children as soon as they are even old enough to understand what it is. We don't wait until they need to prepare to accept it. We let them see us train with it and we tell them all about it from the beginning. I think that's the best we can do. If they grow up with the knowledge it will be accepted as the truth and fact that it is. Hopefully when the time comes for you to pass the armors along, they are comfortable enough with the ideas that they will accept them even easier. If they have seen you train with the armor they will see the armor in action and be use to the way it works. We teach them self defense and combat as we feel they are ready to learn. I will begin teaching and training Nichole in the magic arts within the week. She needs to know her powers and we need to know how far her abilities have progressed."

"Mommy, you're okay!" screamed Nichole as she ran into the room.

"Yes Nichole, what made you think otherwise?"

"Mommy, I fell asleep and I had this dream, only it didn't seem like my normal dreams. There was this really big, mean guy that was after me and he killed everybody. He said something about wanting Daddy's armor and that I had it. Mommy, I was so scared, I thought I lost everyone and I was all alone. I didn't know what to do. There was this big flash and I saw another guy in robes and he had a weird staff. I was scared at first, but somehow, I just knew that he was a good person and that I was safe. He said that I had to be strong and use my power to help save my friends and everyone from the darkness."

"Nichole, honey, did you hear a name for the man that scared you?"

"I think it was something with a T. Talpa I think. He was really scary. All I wanted was to get away. What's going on, Daddy? What's this darkness the nice guy was talking about?"

"Sirene, I think it's time you had a talk with our daughter."

"Yeah, come on Nichole, you and I need to have a talk about your dream. Kayura, would you please come with us? I could probably use your help. You know some about both the Ancients and Anubis's armor. You might be able to explain more about them then I can. If we are to begin educating our children about their destinies, there appears to be no better time than now. I will begin teaching Nichole's training today and we will explain as much about the past and present situation to her as I feel we can. We shall have to watch our children and use our own judgement to decide how much to explain to them at what point in time."

"I will be up in just a few moments Sirene. Let me gather some herbs and incense." Nichole followed her mother upstairs. Kayura gathered the things she would need and followed the mother and daughter pair. Shortly after they disappeared up the stairway, Rowen made an appearance in the kitchen.

"I think I'll go get Cassandra for breakfast," said Sarah. Cye and Angel volunteered to make breakfast for everyone.

"Hey, check out who finally joined the land of the living," laughed Kento.

"Haha, you're so funny. Where's Kayura?"

"She's upstairs talking to Sirene and Nichole," answered Anubis.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we just found out a lot of stuff this morning."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that Nichole subconsciously sent those dreams to me and Mia because she is some 'seer' who is supposed to 'bring together the ones chosen to save the world from some darkness.' Something makes me think that this time, Talpa is one of the goons and he's working for something bigger," informed Sage.

"Wow that is a big clue. I guess it's time to come up with a plan just as soon as we figure out one more piece of information."

"What's that, Rowen?" asked Dais.

"Why send that dream to Mia?"

"Um, actually, I think I have a good idea about that."

"What is it, Anna?" Sage had finally pulled himself together from after his meditation. He seemed less tense, but Anna could feel through his grip on her that it wasn't that much. He sat less rigid behind her, but his arms still held tightly around her waist.

"I think Mia is actually a telepath. I can sometimes pick up little hints, but I don't think she knows it yet. I think it's from being so linked to Ryo. It's not unheard of for some other power to help bring out another person's special abilities. In fact in the Nether Realm, it's how a lot of my people help their children develop their abilities. They use their own power to create a short link to their children to help bring out the child's innate abilities. I think because of some special bond with their love, the power from the armor of Wildfire has brought out Mia's telepathic abilities. In her emotional state, Mia was able to pick up on the vision Nichole was sending out."

"That is a possibility. I think we'll have to talk to Mia about it though to learn more about that theory," answered Sage.

"Yeah, how's she doing anyway? She was really upset last night," asked Rowen. Sage answered him.

"You have no idea, Ro. All this has the both of them upset. Ryo is really worried about her. He's scared to death of losing her."

"Oh man. I can imagine this has her worked up, and that naturally means that he would be too."

"No Rowen, there is something deeper here. He was in tears last night he was so worried about her. Something is wrong with her and he can feel it. She may try to hide it from us, but she can't hide it from him. He knows that something is wrong and it's not just the vision. There was something before last night that he knows and we don't. Somehow we're going to have to get them apart long enough for him to tell us what it is. He won't say anything in front of her so we'll have to get him out of the house for something and make sure that he knows she's safe with the others. He was in tears, he never cries. That's not how he lets go of stress. He gets angry, not upset and dejected. You saw how he refused to let go of her last night."

"Yeah, I know. I stopped in their room this morning but she was asleep. He was awake but he didn't want to leave her alone while she was asleep. I figured maybe he had talked to you guys or something this morning or last night. This isn't right. They should be starting the rest of their lives now. They shouldn't have to worry about all this. Mia really doesn't need all that stress now," stated Kaley.

"I think they're really gonna need us on this one guys and it's gonna be a fight to get them to admit that. You know he will try to shield her from everything and keep her oblivious."

Rowen sighed and rubbed his hand down his face. "I think you're right, Kento. Whatever is happening, for whatever reason, Mia needs to know what's going on. She's at the heart of it all now and she won't be safe if she doesn't know what's going on."

Just then Anna grabbed her head as it started pounding. "Hey guys, not to interrupt this wonderful chat or anything, but something's really wrong with Mia."

_Guys, I need you up here, and I mean NOW. _

"Anna's right, guys, Ryo needs us now," said Sage.

"RYO! Where are you? Where am I? Why can't I find you?" Mia was surrounded by darkness. "Ryo, where are you? Why can't I find you? I'm so scared, Ryo, why aren't you with me?" Mia was in tears now.

"Wildfire can't hear you, young one. That is why he doesn't answer. He is not here to answer your cries. He doesn't love you or your child. He doesn't want to find you."

"You lie; Ryo would never leave me or his child. He loves me. He would die for me."

"Is that what you think? Well I guess we all have to have a dream."

"I will never believe your lies. You're evil, I can feel it. Ryo will save me."

"Can he save you from your own mind?"

"What?"

"Ahh, you didn't know you had those powers. You didn't know you were a telepath, did you? I guess your grandfather hid more than I thought from you."

"What do you know of my grandfather?"

"I know everything. I am the darkness, feared by all. I believe you have met one of my minions."

Mia turned to where the shadow seemed to be pointing. She gasped as she tried to hold back her tears when she saw the familiar form. "No, it can't be."

"I believe you remember Talpa."

"It can't be."

"I'm hurt, I wasn't even invited to the wedding. After all I was the one that brought you together. Then again it's not like it will last. He simply stays for the young child. He won't stay for long. Give him time and you will find yourself alone. Do you honestly think you can stay by the side of someone with a destiny such as his? Do you think he really wants someone as simple as you by his side and a brat tagging along behind?"

Mia couldn't hold back any longer. She just fell to the floor and started crying.

"Wildfire's bride will be an excellent prize. With her, we will be able to lure him to us and get everything we wanted."

"But Master, she only bears the third child of the new generation. How will we get the others? The brats will need to be older before we can force the armor upon them."

"You are right, Talpa, but this is only a start. It will take years yet before we can get everything we want, but this is only the start. We must be patient. Open the rift now and let it bleed itself wider."

As Mia lay on the ground crying, dark energy began to flow into her. She was overwhelmed with pain as she screamed and passed out. Ryo, help me, I can't hold on much longer.


	10. Facing Your Nightmares

Chapter 9 : Facing Your Nightmares

"Come on, Mia, just wake up Hun, please." It had been five minutes since Mia suddenly went pale and she started mumbling in her sleep. Ryo had been trying to wake her up from what he thought was another nightmare. So far he couldn't wake her up. He was checking her pulse and yelling for the guys when Sage came in.

"What's the matter, Ryo?"

"She won't wake up, Sage. I don't know what's wrong; she just suddenly went pale and cold. Then she started mumbling in her sleep and started calling for me. I tried to wake her up, but she started crying and then she went completely limp. She won't wake up and I can barely feel a pulse."

"All right, Ryo, just calm down. You're can't help her if you don't have a cool head. Anna, I'm going to need your help. I want you to help me get into her mind. I feel something else at work here. Something is holding her trapped in her own nightmare. I'm going to have to go into her mind to wake her up. I need you to help me create a link with her, ok?"

"You will not disturb the master's work."

Everyone suddenly turned toward the voice in the shadows.

"Tell your master to leave my wife and child out of this. They haven't done anything to you. It's me you guys want," screamed Ryo. He was now in tears with worry about Mia and his unborn child and his mood was swiftly changing from sad to angry. He was sure he was going to lose them both.

"Hmm, Wildfire, you seem to have lost your edge. Don't tell me love has already made you go soft. Talpa won't enjoy that at all. He really did want a challenge. But this may be easier to get your armor for the master."

"I won't give you freaks anything. Now show yourself and let Mia out of whatever hold you goons have on her or I swear I will hunt every one of you down and take care of you myself." Slowly the shadow in the far corner began to stretch over to the bed Mia and Ryo were on and began to take human form. "Who are you?" demanded Ryo.

"I am Eclipse, master of shadows and darkness."

"Yeah, well, you really don't belong here," insisted Sage as he armored up and brought out his sword.

"Ahhh, the Halo armor. You believe the power of light can destroy me. You wouldn't dare try to attack me here. You wouldn't want to hurt dear Wildfire or his little wife, now, would you? Though I can't really promise there is much of her left to save."

"That's enough Eclipse, you're going down." Sage held out his sword and began to concentrate. "Where there is eternal light, there can be no dark." The Halo sword began to glow brighter. Finally it got so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes. When they opened them again, there was a green glow around Sage that was dimming and Eclipse was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly Nichole came running into the room. "Ryo, you have to help Mia, she's calling for you and can't find you. I heard her; but then she screamed and I couldn't hear her anymore. She was in a lot of pain, Ryo, what's going on? I don't want Aunt Mia to hurt anymore. I want her to be happy again. I don't want Rekino to be hurt either."

"We don't know what's going on, Nichole, but we're going to find out now," answered Sage.

"Sage, I'm going to have to help. I need to help you bring her back."

"Ryo, what we need you to do is to stay conscious and try to wake her up. Just keep talking to her. Something is trying to block you from each other, and we're going to serve as that route for you to reach her. When I reach her, Anna is going to be my anchor here. I'm going to need you to use us to anchor Mia and bring her back. She needs to hear you and see she has a reason to come back." Ryo just nodded in understanding.

"Anna, are you ready?"

"Yeah, whenever you are."

"Okay, let's go, then."

Sage and Anna sat on the end of the bed. Sage placed a hand on Mia's forehead and grabbed Anna's with the other. Anna then used her free hand to grab Ryo's hand as Ryo placed his other hand in Mia's to complete the circle.

"Sage? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Anna, are we in her mind now?"

"You could say that; we have to find her quickly, it's so dark here. It's no wonder Ryo can't reach her."

"All right, let me look for her." Sage closed his eyes and concentrated. Next thing they knew the darkness seemed to shift and Mia was laying at their feet. Sage quickly knelt down at her side and brushed the hair away from her face. "Hold on, Mia, we're going to get you back to Ryo, but you have to help us and fight this thing." Sage placed a hand on Mia's forehead. Almost immediately Sage started glowing with a deep green and the glow spread over Mia. Anna focused on creating a link between Mia and Ryo through Sage's mind.

"Mia, oh, please, Mia, please wake up. I don't know what I'd do without you. Please, fight this. I need you Mia. Fight this. I know you can do it. Please come back to me."

Mia slowly began to wake within her own mind. "Ryo? Is that really you? Oh, god, Ryo, I'm trying to fight this. Sage is that you? Please, god let me go back to him. Please, I can't leave him. I can't let this thing kill both me and our child."

Slowly the green glows began to fade around the three souls and Sage slowly opened his eyes and watched Mia's eyes start moving back and forth beneath the lids. "It's all up to her now; we can't help her anymore, Sage."

"She has the strength to beat this. She's fighting it, I can tell, it's just a matter of time now." Sage turned back around and placed a hand on Mia's forehead again. "Come on, Mia. I know you can fight this. We have to go now, but you need to keep fighting this thing to get back to Ryo. If you let this thing get the best of you, he will follow you. I can guarantee it. You have to come back and help me kick his butt back into shape and keep him on his toes." As if in answer, Mia started to shift, but didn't wake. Sage saw a small smile of hope on her face and knew everything would be okay.

Anna and Sage both stood slowly and lent over Ryo and Mia. "She should be fine now, Ryo. The rest of the battle is hers. All we can do now is wait to see what happens. She can definitely hear you now, and you should be able to use a mental link to her now. That will probably give her more reassurance so I would suggest using that. Ryo, she's telepathic so her mind is her power. Link to her and help her use that to her advantage."

"Thank you for everything, Sage, Anna. I don't know how to ever repay you guys."

"You're both friends, Ryo, and you are a fellow Ronin. If we didn't owe it to you for being friends, we wouldn't be able to just sit by and watch you lose the person you love most in life. Just help her through this and help bring out her abilities and that is thanks enough."

Ryo just smiled before he looked back down at Mia. He was cradling her head in his lap as he brushed her sweat soaked hair away from her face. He felt for a pulse again and felt it getting stronger. "It's working, she's winning this fight. She has to be. Her pulse is getting stronger."

"Well, don't waste any time, then. Reach out to her and help her," said Anna.

When Ryo closed his eyes and reached out to Mia, Sage and Anna left Ryo and Mia alone undisturbed. "If anything happens, he'll call for us. I think everything's going to be fine for now, though," Anna reassured weakly.

"Anna, are you okay? You used a lot of energy back there."

"Yeah, I'm just a little exhausted, that's all."

Sage wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she leaned up against him for support and passed out.

"Mia, I know you can fight this. You just have to be a little stronger. Use my strength to fight it if you need to. Just do what you can to pull out of this. I need you in my life, Mia. I refuse to lose you now after all this," thought Ryo. He was now using his bond with Mia to create a mental link with her.

"Ryo? My god, it is you. I love you so much. I can't do this alone. It's too much to save me and the baby by myself. Oh god, Ryo, he brought Talpa into my mind. I was so scared, Ryo. They tried to make me believe that you didn't want to hear me calling for you, that you didn't want to rescue me, but I knew they were lying. I knew you would never leave me."

"God, Mia, If I had known, I would have found a way to reach you. I swear I would have..."

"Shh, Ryo, all that matters is that you did find a way to me. You're here now. Let's pull through this. I need your strength for all three of us to pull through this though. I'm too weak to do this on my own now."

"I'm here to help you, Mia. Use me as a support if you have to. Use your mind Mia. You have more power there than you think."

"I know, I think I can break the barriers now. Can you feel him Ryo? That's our son pushing us on."

Ryo smiled at her and wrapped his essence around her to support her from the shadows. They started to concentrate on bringing each other and their child back to reality.

Anna slowly began to regain consciousness. When she opened her eyes she recognized the room she and Sage had shared at Anubis's house. "It's about time; you've been out for almost an hour. Cye saved you some breakfast if you're hungry."

"Thanks, Sage, that would be nice. I guess I used more energy than I thought."

"You can say that again. You passed out as soon as we walked into the hallway. Do you feel better now?"

"I think so; I'll feel better once I get some food in my system." Sage got up and picked up the tray of food that was sitting on the dresser and set it in Anna's lap.

"R...Ryo?" Mia asked weakly.

"Mia? Oh god, Mia, you're okay. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you."

Mia let out a small laugh. "Sage said you would've followed me if I had let them beat me. I wasn't about to let you throw your life away too. Not to mention I wasn't about to give up on our baby either. You aren't going to lose me that easily, let alone both of us. He wanted me to fight just as much as you did."

Ryo smiled. "I'm happy to have you both back." He leaned over and kissed her.

"I'm still a little cold though, and I feel so weak now. What happened? All I know is that I got some kind of mental attack from Talpa and some huge shadow. I tried calling for you but they blocked you from me. I don't know how they did it but they did. Next thing I knew, god, Ryo, there was so much pain. It hurt so badly. I think they were trying to break the link between me and the baby. All I wanted was for it to end. I didn't care how; I just wanted it to end." Mia broke down into tears again as she threw herself back into Ryo's arms. He held her close to him tightly and comforted her.

"It's okay now, Mia. You're safe now. I'm right here with you. You can always rely on me whenever you need to. I'm always here for you."

"I know, and I love you for it. Now what exactly did happen?"

"Talpa, or whoever is in charge now, sent someone named Eclipse, who I'm guessing messed with your mind or something and let Talpa and the shadow attack you mentally to get to me. They were hoping that if they hurt you enough, I would break down enough for them to take my armor."

"Oh, Ryo, I'm a weakness to you. If I wasn't here, they wouldn't be able to get to you so easily. I shouldn't have gotten involved. I shouldn't have let myself fall in love with you. It's a way for them to get to you, and they know it."

"Don't you ever say that Mia. Don't ever say you shouldn't have fallen in love with me. It's because of you that I have so much strength to go on sometimes. Mia, yes, when you're hurt I go weak, but only because I try to give you the strength to go on. But Mia, that is a two-way street there, Hun. Do you remember all those times that you encouraged me to get back up when it looked like I was down for the count? Mia, you are what gave me the strength to get back up and fight. I got back up for you. I never gave up because I cared about you, and I didn't want to leave you here alone and unprotected."

"Ryo, I love you so much. I don't deserve you sometimes."

"Mia, sometimes it's me who doesn't deserve someone like you. But you know what? Thanks to Sage, and this whole situation, I realized something. There is so much happiness between us, that I wouldn't trade any of that for anyone else. The only person I ever wanted was the one I married, and the mother of my child."

"You mean just as much to me, Ryo." When Mia finally calmed down again, there was a faint knock at the door.

"Mia, Ryo, can I come in?"

Ryo smiled. "Come on in, Nichole."

The door slowly opened and the little girl slipped her head through the crack. As soon as she saw Mia awake she threw the door open and ran up to her. "Oh, Mia, you're okay now. The bad guy left you alone." As Nichole squeezed her arms around Mia's neck, a soft pink glow surrounded them. "Mia, you're glowing. Just like Mommy does when she uses her magic, only Mommy doesn't glow as much."

Mia smiled as she wrapped her arms around the small child.

Slowly the glow faded. "I think I just found my own magic, Nichole."

"Oh, wow, you know magic too? Mommy said she's gonna start teaching me magic. She said I can be better than her if I really try. So did the guy with the robes. He said I had to use my powers to save my friends and everyone else."

"What guy, Nichole?" asked Mia.

"The guy with the robes and the weird staff in my dream that helped me get away from the bad guy."

Mia and Ryo glanced at each other. "She saw the Ancient, Ryo. What does all this mean?"

"I don't know, but I'll bet the guys know a bit more about it. They were all having a meeting or something before Sage and Anna came up here to help you."

"I guess we'll have to ask them about it then." Mia looked back towards Nichole. "Why don't you go downstairs and watch the TV Nichole? We'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'm glad you're okay, Mia. I don't want the bad people to get to you and Rekino, especially since I haven't been able to play with him for real yet."

Mia and Ryo looked at each other surprised again. Ryo spoke up first. "Who is Rekino, Nichole?"

"Don't you know? Rekino is the baby."

"How do you know him Nichole?"

"He visits me in my dreams sometimes."

Mia eased the little girl away from her slightly. "What do you mean he visits you in your dreams?"

Nichole looked down at her hands. "Every night when I go to sleep, he visits me and tells me I have to be strong for everyone else. He plays with me and he says he is supposed to protect me from the bad guys. He helps me understand some of the magic that I don't understand yet."

"Nichole, Rekino won't be born for several months yet. How does he appear to you?"

Nichole frowned slightly, feeling as though she had done something wrong. "He's tall when he visits me. He's a lot bigger than me. He's almost as big as you guys." Nichole suddenly looked up at Mia with tears in her eyes. "Please don't be mad Mia. He watches over me in my dreams. I like when he visits. I feel safe, like when the man in the robes visits. He promised to always keep me safe when mommy and daddy couldn't. He promised to always be with me."

Mia wrapped her arms around the crying child once again. Ryo eased himself to the other side and wrapped his arms around them both. He made sure to speak in a soft voice to calm her down and reassure her. "Nichole, you have done nothing wrong. Don't be upset, we aren't angry. I am happy to know that he is watching over you. Nichole, when Rekino is born, he may not remember visiting you're dreams, ok? He's watching over you now, but he's going to need you to help watch over him for a while, ok?

Nichole sniffled and squeezed her arms around Mia tighter as she nodded your head.

Mia spoke softly to her as well. "Nichole, how did you know about the shadow?"

"He told me."

"Rekino told you?"

"Yes. He came to visit me and said he needed my help. He said that he and Mia were in trouble and covered in a bad shadow. He told me to imagine a really dark corner and then I saw it. I could feel you and Mia inside. He told me to imagine a really big light to push away the shadow and it worked. He hugged me and told me that you would both be ok now. Then he told me that I would have to watch over Mia for awhile because he might not be able to visit for awhile. I hope he comes back soon. I want to introduce him to Cassie. But I can't do that if he just visits in my dreams. Will we get to see him soon Mia?"

Mia smiled. "I think he'll visit in your dreams again soon Nichole. Don't worry. He's a very brave and courageous boy. I don't think he will leave you for long. Just remember what I said ok? He may not remember visiting your dreams after he's born ok? So don't be too upset with him if he doesn't. You just have to be patient with him. Watch over him as long as he's little ok?"

"Ok, Mia. He told me the same thing. He said I would have to watch out for him while he was little and then when he got big he would watch over me."

"Well, aren't you just full of surprises today? Go on downstairs and we'll meet you down there. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Nichole?"

"Yes Mia?"

"Thank you for helping me." Nichole smiled and left the room. "It looks like we have a child with a lot of power on our hands. Hopefully Sirene can teach her how to use it. Hopefully they can help us with Rekino after he is born. It sounds like he has a few surprises of his own. Do you think it's linked to the armor?"

Ryo smiled as he wrapped his arms around Mia. "I definitely think it is. It sounds like he and Nichole have quite the bond in the future. Maybe that has helped. If he is appearing to her in her dreams now, he's trying to help her. In helping her he found a way to help us. I don't think Sirene and Anubis need to worry so much about her."

Mia smiled and looked up at him before looking back down at her stomach. "I think we're going to have our hands full during the teenage years Ryo, and I don't think it will be with girls coming and going. I get the feeling our little one won't have a long list of girlfriends. If today is any sign, I think he already has his eyes set and is getting things started from the future. I wonder how much of this he is actually aware of in this time."

"We can only wait and see. Either way, they will be good for each other."

"I think that armor of yours has linked us all. He somehow used that power to help me and then bring in all the additional help we needed. Talpa and this shadow are going have one tough fight on their hands."

"If Rekino is anything like us, Mia, I know he will. I think our son has already started a long tradition of making us proud."


End file.
